Vova and Olga Galchenko facts for kids

Vladimir (born September 15, 1987), known as Vova, and Olga Galchenko (born July 31, 1990) are a brother and sister who became famous jugglers. They were originally from Russia. They performed together from about 2001 to 2009. They were especially good at juggling clubs. They focused on difficult solo tricks, complex club passing, and juggling many clubs at once.

Their Juggling Journey

Vladimir Vasilievich Galchenko, called Vova, and his sister Olga Vasilievna Galchenko grew up in Penza, Russia. Both started juggling when they were very young. Vova joined a circus school when he was seven years old. Olga joined the same circus school a few years later.

Early Days and Big Shows

With their parents' encouragement, Vova and Olga began performing together. In 2001, their father started filming their tricks. He then posted these videos online. Soon, they started getting invitations to perform in other countries. Vova and Olga quickly became well-known in Europe. People were amazed by their high level of skill, especially because they were so young.

Even at ages 12 and 15, they were featured performers. They appeared at many large juggling conventions and festivals in Europe. These included the British Juggling Convention in 2002 and the European Juggling Convention in 2003. They also performed at juggling events in Israel and Japan.

Moving to the United States

In 2003, the siblings moved from Russia to the United States. They settled in Los Angeles, California. There, they began working with Jason Garfield to make their juggling skills even better. In July 2003, they traveled to the International Jugglers' Association Summer Festival in Reno, Nevada. Many people thought they would win all the main awards. However, they were new to competition stages. They did not win gold in any main category. Still, they won a silver medal as a team and many other awards.

Competition Successes

In December 2004, Vova and Olga competed in the first World Juggling Federation event. This competition was held in Las Vegas, Nevada. Vova won several club juggling events. He also came in second in another event. Olga won the Junior Clubs competition. She also placed second in the Women's Advanced Clubs. Together, they won the Teams Six Club and Teams Seven Plus events.

Around 2005, their partnership began to change. Olga wanted to focus more on her schoolwork. So, Vova started performing on his own. In the 2006 World Juggling Federation competition, Vova and Olga performed together again. They won the Team Club Passing competition. This was their first time competing as a pair in a year and a half. Vova also competed alone. He won many individual events, showing his amazing skill.

Their Unique Juggling Style

The Galchenko siblings are known for being very dedicated to perfecting their technical skills. They worked tirelessly to make their juggling perfect. Famous entertainer Penn Jillette once said that when it comes to club passing, Vova and Olga are "the best in the world." He even said they were "the best there has ever been." A writer for Time magazine, Lev Grossman, described their performance as "beautiful." He called it "a kind of kinetic sculpture." This means it was like a moving piece of art.

Focus on Technical Skill

Unlike many other jugglers, Vova and Olga did not focus on entertaining the audience. They did not joke around or try to be funny on stage. This was partly because Vova felt very nervous when performing. Vova, sometimes called "The Russian Robot," believed that juggling was just about throwing and catching. He thought it had nothing to do with art. Because they cared more about the technical side of juggling than entertainment, they joined the World Juggling Federation. This group aims to turn juggling into a sport.

World Records They Held

Olga and Vova once held several juggling world records for team club passing. Some of their impressive records included:

• Ten Clubs - 378 passes caught
• Eleven Clubs - 152 passes caught
• Twelve Clubs - 54 passes caught

Life Beyond Juggling

Vova and Olga Galchenko have recently started focusing on other goals. They both studied Computer Engineering and Computer Science. Olga went to UCLA, and Vova attended USC. Both have done very well in their studies. Vova has even created several iPhone applications. One of these apps is designed for jugglers. Since 2012, Vova has been working at Box, a technology company.

See also

• List of jugglers