Issue 141 (May - June)

p. 17 Twenty-eight-year-old Viachaslau Petrakou, or Slava as he is known to friends, is one of the artists performing two shows at day, five times a week at La Perle by Dragone at Al Habtoor City. Joanna Andrews caught up with the Belarusian national to find out more about his exciting role. Dragone in person. “I had worked for so long for a Franco show, without ever having the honour of meeting the man himself, so I made it my mission to be hired on his show,” he said. “I was coming for one reason: Franco Dragone… I auditioned for La Perle and now here I am.” He jokes that when he first met him it was like meeting someone from another planet. “He speaks the same language, but sometimes you have no idea what he is talking about until you see the final result and it is always amazing. He’s a really warm and genuine person and someone I highly admire.” The artist says that securing the role was like a dream come true. “The UAE is a country I have always fantasized about. I love Dubai. It is a beautiful city; from the friendly people you meet to the guaranteed amazing weather.” Slava’s main performance is the Bungee Straps act, S lava started his career as a young gymnast in Belarus. Hard work and perseverance resulted in him competing for the national team, and eventually securing a job in Franco Dragone’s hit show Alegria. He spent the next six years travelling around the world with the Cirque de Soleil show. In all that time, he had never met the famous artistic director. In 2000, following the success of Cirque du Soleil, Franco Dragone set up his own company in his namesake, Dragone, which is headquartered in his native Belgium. He has since produced many successful theatrical productions around the world, mainly in Asia and the US. After a chance meeting with the Al Habtoor family the concept of La Perle by Dragone was born. Once Slava got wind of the plans for a world-class show in a purpose-built theatre in Dubai he knew it would be his chance to finally meet which sees him flying through the air, scaling heights of up to 40 metres at rapid pace – with extreme precision. “You’ll see me in the middle of the five performers,” he said. “I also often perform High Dive, V Poles … and as one of the reptiles crawling out of the water.” He says the most dangerous act he performs is the high dive. “One small mistake can be