From the Stage to the Screen: My Journey from Cirque du Soleil to the Kononov Club
Oct 14, 2025
When you perform every night in front of 2,500 people, you live in a storm of light, sound, and adrenaline. For over a decade, that was my world — Cirque du Soleil. The stage gave me everything: purpose, energy, and connection. But one day, the lights went off. No applause. No adrenaline. No show. I sat at a desk for hours, working on my new digital project, and suddenly — I couldn’t walk, couldn’t run, couldn’t sleep. My body was screaming at me. That moment changed my life.
I realized that the same body that once performed extreme acts on stage was now suffering because of stillness. It wasn’t about age — it was about movement. The human body is not designed to sit all day. That realization became the seed for what later grew into my Posture Challenge and, eventually, the Kononov Club.
What Cirque du Soleil Taught Me About the Human Body
Cirque du Soleil was more than a performance — it was a university of human potential. I saw firsthand that the human body can go far beyond what we think is possible. We used only 5% of our potential in everyday life. My colleagues and I did things that seemed superhuman — catching people midair from 12 meters, performing eight shows per week, recovering overnight from incredible stress. That experience taught me something crucial: the body works as one system.
If one part is tight — if mobility is missing — strength and power don’t work. Mobility, strength, endurance, and coordination are not separate — they are companions that must live in balance. Without that balance, movement breaks. And when movement breaks, pain begins.
From Performer to Coach: Learning to Speak Instead of Just Move
When I was on stage, I could inspire people without saying a word. That was the highest level of influence — to move someone emotionally through pure movement. But when I left the stage, I realized something important: I had lost my way to express myself. My stage was gone.
I had to learn to speak, to teach, to share. It was uncomfortable at first — I was a gymnast, not a marketing guy or a university professor. But I discovered a new model: teach through movement, not through talk. Gymnastics always gave me that clarity. You don’t talk about the skill — you create the preparation exercise. You show. You practice. You feel. That’s how I began to build my training programs — each exercise became like a vitamin, designed to restore the body step by step.
The Real Transformation Happened When I Stopped Performing
The biggest change didn’t happen on stage — it happened after I stopped. The stage gave me energy, but coaching gave me meaning. When I perform, I see thousands of faces, but I don’t know their stories. When I coach, I see transformation in real time. I read messages from people who fix their back pain, regain mobility, and feel alive again. It’s fewer people, but the connection is deeper. I can see the result, feel their energy, and know that what I do truly changes lives.
The Hidden Lessons from Injury and Recovery
I’ve had my share of injuries — shoulder surgery after eight shows a week, torn ACL, chronic back pain since I was 14. Each injury became my greatest teacher. University gave me knowledge, but pain gave me wisdom. I learned anatomy not from textbooks, but from living inside a broken body and rebuilding it from the inside out.
When I worked in Cirque du Soleil, I spent hours with physiotherapists, coaches, and doctors. I studied everything — how muscles recover, how movement patterns adapt, how the mind affects healing. These experiences became the foundation for my methods today. My programs are not theory — they’re built from real challenges and real recovery.
My Message to Every Athlete and Artist
If you are performing, start sharing now. Don’t wait until the spotlight fades. Many athletes say they’ll share their story after they retire — but when you stop performing, you lose confidence, adrenaline, and a part of your identity. Share while you’re still in motion. Share when you’re inspired. That’s when your story has the most power.
I started writing posts and blogs during my performing career, especially after my shoulder injury. I wanted to show that behind every perfect show there is a fight — physical, mental, emotional. That fight is what connects us all.
From Cirque du Soleil to Kononov Club
Everything I’ve learned — from gymnastics, from injuries, from Cirque du Soleil — lives today inside the Kononov Club. It’s not just a place to train. It’s a place to grow, to reconnect with your body, and to rediscover what movement really means.
The stage taught me how to inspire without words. Coaching taught me how to connect through them. The mission remains the same — to help people stand taller, move freer, and live stronger.
I believe in you. Kononov Oleksiy