Yaroslav and Kyrylo an exciting team to watch
There is clearly something in the water in Ukraine which produces such a host of great acrobats and aerialists. I have written about some in the past, including the amazing Bilak Brothers.
I first got to see Yaroslav Romaniuk, and Kyrylo Yaroshenko, in a brilliant production in the Eden lounge, Wonder at Eden: Shimmerbox, on the second night of my 2024 cruise on the Celebrity ASCENT. It was on my annual transatlantic cruise, this one being thirteen days from Barcelona to Ft. Lauderdale. The entire cast was great. Then a few days later I happened to meet Kyrylo in the gym where he was doing a serious workout. I took the opportunity to tell him how much I enjoyed the show and he was gracious at my interrupting his workout, and agreed to meet me for a cup of coffee later in the cruise. Turned out it was a very enjoyable hour in the Oceanview café and he brought Yaroslav with him. Their English is fine and the conversation was easy. I learned a lot about them.
We shared stories about each other and talked about their family, their work, and of course a little about the war. They had left Ukraine before the war began, but both their parents are still there, thankfully safe. I found out they started their career together on MSC cruises. They were then fortunate to get contracts with Celebrity. They have performed on the APEX, BEYOND, and now ASCENT.
Kyrylo was born in Kyiv, and when he was young his family moved to Uman, in central Ukraine. Yaroslav was born in Uman. Uman is located on the Dnieper Upland on both banks of the Umanka River. It has a population of about 80,000. They met at a young age; Kyrylo was eight and Yaroslav was six, in a sports school in Uman. Kyrylo kidded his parents sent him to the school because they felt it was a great place to have him work off all the excess energy he had, never being able to sit still.
Kyrylo has two brothers. One lives with his wife and kids in Italy. His younger brother is at the University in Poland. Yaroslav’s older brother had also left Ukraine before the war began. As they got older the two young friends went in different directions. Yaroslav was more into this kind of work, and went to the Circus Academy, and graduated from there. Kyrylo followed his parents wishes and went to study mechanical engineering. After he graduated, he went home to Uman and back to see the sports school of his youth, where he ran into Yaroslav. It so happened Yaroslav needed a new partner for a contract he had on MSC. Kyrylo agreed to be that partner. The rest, as they say, is history. At least history for two guys who are now twenty-five and twenty-seven.
I asked how they saw their future, and they both said they will take life as it comes. They understand this kind of work may not be there as they get older, but for now, they truly love what they are doing, and that is clear when you see them performing in the shows. They light up the stage. I asked how they refer to themselves, and they said as acrobats. The interesting thing is they were trained acrobats, and they told me when they wanted to get contracts with Celebrity, their agent told them they really needed more aerialist skills. So, they spent a couple of months training, and filming a video, which clearly was good enough to help them get that first contract with Celebrity. When I saw them perform in Eden, and then again in the Smoke and Ivories show in the Club, both their acrobatics and aerialist skills were incredible to watch.
Both of them are enjoying seeing the world. Working with Celebrity is such a great way to do that. Clearly, they are both people persons, and you can’t help but like them. They have worked in different countries including in Germany, and are now planning their next vacation. This time Yaroslav is going to head to Thailand, and Kyrylo is heading to Peru. Kyrylo told me he is hoping to spend Christmas in New York, a place he hasn’t been, but definitely wants to see. He will love New York, and they will love him.
I think these boys have a good career ahead of them. They intend to stay with Celebrity for the time being, and I hope to see them on another cruise. But I know when their Celebrity contracts end, they will have no trouble finding more work and will be great in whatever shows they are performing in. Meantime, book your cruise on the ASCENT and you will get to enjoy Kyrylo and Yaroslav as much as all of us on this cruise have. You can also follow and enjoy them on Instagram Yaroslav and Kyrylo.
