Check Out Vladyslav Yalenko’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Vladyslav Yalenko

Hi Vladyslav, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My earliest conscious memory of when and how it all began occurred during the Slavic holiday of St. Nicholas Day when I was 8 years old. On that morning of December 19th, when children would find gifts under their pillows, my gift was a VHS tape of ‘Bruce Almighty’ and I had wished for this movie! Jim Carrey, the lead actor had always been an example of freedom and transformation to me, and I remember thinking, “I love acting, transforming, becoming someone else.” Only now, as an adult do I realize how profound that thought was for such a young child.
I was always an active kid, participating in school events including sports, dance, theatre, and I loved playing outdoors, often climbing and exploring the city, which eventually led me to discover a love of parkour.

At the age of 12, I joined a circus studio, where I was introduced to circus arts, focusing particularly on acrobatics. This changed my life. I found like-minded people, and we performed at city events, representing our studio. This experience taught me how to be on stage for an audience, to express myself freely, hone my skill and to enjoy the process.

By the age of 13 my gymnasium and stage partners had invited me to join their parkour team: DsDynamics. We started traveling to other cities, training, and meeting other athletes. Together we participated in intercity parkour festivals, learning from professional gymnasts. And as 2010 ended, we made the decision to audition for Ukraine’s Got Talent (Season 3). Reaching the finals of Season 3 of Ukraine’s Got Talent, at the age of 16, was an experience that had a significant impact on me and my ambitions – I dreamed of joining Cirque du Soleil, and to increase my chances, I planned to enrol with the Kyiv Academy of Circus and Variety Arts, specializing in acrobatics. However, this was not to be as a year later, I suffered a compression fracture and displacement of my cervical vertebrae. After three years of recovery, I felt strong enough again to return to my parkour enthusiasm and as such I competed in two international and one national parkour and free-running competition where I won first place!! I also participated in the TV show “Sing If You Can” as a parkour athlete. That injury, though radically altering my life plans, had given me clarity, everything happens for good reason and what we can take from these life experiences can shape what’s to come – and I now knew that for me my path froward was on stage.

In 2012, desire to be on the stage led me to the Dnipro Theatre and Art College, where I began studying acting. During my studies, I played several key roles, including:
• Jester – King Lear (W. Shakespeare)
• Caligula – Caligula (A. Camus)
• George Gibbs / Joe Crowell – Our Town (T. Wilder)
• Novecento – Novecento: Pianist (A. Baricco)
• Timothy – Khanuma (A. Tsagareli)
While studying, I also worked as an acrobatics instructor at the Dance studio Dan Dance Complex (DDC), and trained freely in contemporary, modern, hip-hop, locking, popping, and jazz-funk dance styles. Our teaching staff produced shows for city events such as City Days, fashion shows, dance competitions, and even a contemporary ballet production of Romeo and Juliet. In 2016, I graduated with a diploma in Dramatic Theatre Acting and Amateur Troupe Directing. A few months later, I got my next big break having successfully auditioned for Franco Dragone showcased at the theme park ‘The land of Legends’ by Rixos. Within four days, I wrapped up my work at the studio, finalized everything, and flew to Turkey to work as an acro-dancer in the Franco Dragone show. What was meant to be a six-month job, turned into six and a half years!

In 2017, I was promoted to Dance Captain and took on additional responsibilities as a Choreographer, Director’s Assistant, Production Assistant, and Stage Director. I had the privilege of being a presenter and storyteller in a documentary produced by the German TV channel Cable One. Participated in advertising for restaurants, shops, theme parks and hotels. During my leadership role, I participated in and conducted an average of 7,950 hours of rehearsals, performed in 3,275 short shows, 2,620 medium shows, and 1,410 large-scale shows, totalling 2,050 hours on stage. The total audience-watched hours for these projects exceeded 10,000.

In 2016, I was honoured to become a member of the Apache Crew, and In 2019, we participated in Taus Makhacheva’s performance for an exhibition at Pinchuk Art Centre in Kiev, later presented during the 58th Venice Biennale at Palazzo Ca’ Tron. That same year, I took part in the folk film-ballet Vodurudu, directed by the leader of crew Anatoliy Sachivko (DOP by Nikita Kuzmenko). Completing training in the Totem School in Kyiv, studying choreography and teaching under the guidance of the esteemed Kristina Shyshkareva and the Totem team.

The next chapter of my career led me to fulfil a long-standing dream I’d had; to participate in a Cirque du Soleil’s show, and for me it would be in Amaluna, where I had the opportunity to shadow the Assistant Artistic Director. This education and experience immersed me in the intricacies of production management, stage management, and artistic directing, closely observing and learning from some of the best industry professionals. A true joy, and an experience I know I will carry with me both personally and professionally.

Then COVID-19 hit, and the entertainment industry ground to a halt, as did so much of the world. During lockdown, I made good use of the time I had and pursued studies in Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) which in time led to my own online practice. Once things began returning to ‘normal’, I resumed work with Franco Dragone at The Land of Legends, while also maintaining my private psychology practice.

In 2022, my old injury returned, this tragically signalled that it was time for a change and by the end of the year I bid a fond farewell to the show and my colleagues in pursuit of my psychology practice, where I fully immersed myself until an opportunity presented. I was invited to teach Performing arts at an international school in Istanbul and with the freedom that my online business permitted, I relocated to Istanbul where I spent six months teaching. This balance was appealing and whilst I am proud of my work in the sphere of psychology and education, the pull to performing and directing is firmly cemented within me and my next adventure was back in Dubai working as Dance Captain and Choreographer for the circus show Pluma.

I remained in Dubai following the show and have amassed some wonderful roles in both directing and performing. I have worked under non-discloser agreements in two big budget American films, filmed here in the UAE and due at global cinemas in 2025.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I believe that we often create our own obstacles, which we then heroically overcome to gain strength and confidence enabling us to achieve what we desire. The challenges that the universe presents to us are almost in the form of a question – an enquiry, as if to say ‘Are you truly ready for this?’ and as I look back on my life I see a few distinct chapters that are broken up by major challenges or crisis – universal questions if you will on what to do next.

The first crisis was certainly my neck injury, which diverted my envisioned path and by perseverance revealed my future course as an actor. The recovery was long and yet it didn’t dull my passion if anything it gave me purpose and direction on what I wanted to get back to.

The second crisis resulted from the Covid-19 pandemic which had an unprecedented impact on many of us and for me it evoked a lack of clarity about who I was, what I wanted, and where I was going – and perhaps importantly; could I make it? It also blessed me with lots of time to explore the answers, as Socrates once said, “know thy self”, and I chose to do so by studying psychology. Through Psychology this really allowed me to better understand my feelings, emotions, and behaviour. Fundamentally to understand myself and this crisis bore my direction and from that I could establish my aims and objectives aligning with my true passion and ambitions. Furthermore, from these studies I have been able to dig deeper and access a greater range of emotion, and this has enhanced my work in acting and in directing others.

The third crisis was moving to a new country, a new city, and entering a new market in a profession that required continuous growth—all while being far from my loved ones and working freelance removes much stability. Yet I’ve never bene happier! I understand that the challenges I have faced have given me many experiences to learn from and can now be drawn upon in any future acting performances. I truly feel that I know myself and I feel that this is only the beginning of a beautiful journey! I have honed my craft; I have worked on some incredible projects and most recently on big budget Hollywood movies – my growth is evident, and I am eagerly awaiting this next chapter.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As a multidisciplinary artist (acrobat, dancer, and actor) I have been fortunate to explore various forms of performance, including circus, theatre, television, and film. I have learnt to use my skills and experiences as a means of enhancing character storytelling, which has led me to realize that everything we do in life can be applied on stage or in front of the camera.

With 17 years of experience across different disciplines, I have:
• Been a finalist on Ukraine’s Got Talent (Season 3)
• Won two international and one national parkour and free-running competitions (Russian, Ukraine)
• Worked as an actor, acro-dancer, dance captain, assistant director, and choreographer for Franco Dragone’s show (Turkey)
• Worked as an actor, acro-dancer, dance captain and choreographer in the circus show Pluma (Dubai)
• Performed as an actor and acro-dancer in a live exhibition at the Pinchuk Art Centre in Kyiv, later presented at the 58th Venice Biennale in Palazzo Ca’ Tron
• Starred as an acro-dancer in the folk film-ballet Vodurudu, directed by Anatoliy Sachivko (DOP: Nikita Kuzmenko) (Ukraine)
• A presenter and storyteller in a documentary produced by the German TV channel Cable One for the theme park The Land of Legends (Turkey)
• Taught acrobatics, performing arts, choreography, and acting (Ukraine, Turkey, Dubai)
• Starred in Dubai commercials, including Etisalat – Go for More (Director: Virgil Ferragut), Huda Beauty (Director: Hannah Lux Davis), Zayed National Museum, etc.
• Appeared in two feature films due for release in 2025 (UAE)

Currently, I am doing what I love. As an actor, stunt performer, model, and dancer, I participate in film shoots, commercials, photoshoots, and occasional live performances. As a psychologist, I provide online consultations for crisis and trauma-related cases. I also teach and run courses on acting to models, with a primary focus on confidence in front of an audience and the camera. I thrive in front of the camera and continue to learn about the process of creating commercials, films, and media.

I am most proud of my resilience and pursuit of lifelong learning – this has permitted me to relocate to new countries, to take on the challenges that come with fully embracing new experiences. I am more worldly for it, I have been able to adapt to new situations, new dynamics and this has opened so many doors for me. Perhaps this also sets me apart? I have recently filmed a commercial for Etisalat where I combined skills in stunt, acrobatics and acting – I bring to the table a fantastic mix of skill AND experience, and I am always professional, safe, and happy to get to do the work I do.

I felt so fortunate during all this time to have learnt from, and worked with, some incredible creators, directors, choreographers and stunt instructor. Industry names like Michael Le Fleur (Franco Dragone, Disney, Broadway), Lassaâd Saïdi (Franco Dragone), Chad Leslie (Franco Dragone, Cirque du Soleil), Wayne Wilson (Franco Dragone, Cirque du Soleil), Caroline Sicard (Franco Dragone, Cirque du Soleil), Marc Bogaerts (Franco Dragone), Ian Jenkins (Animaccord, Blue Banana Entertainment, Europa Park), Sandrine Lafond (Franco Dragone, Cirque du Soleil), Jozef Koda (Franco Dragone, Universal studios), Celine Regnard (Franco Dragone), Maksim Pasyuk(Franco Dragone), Volodymyr Kosenko(The land of Legends), Julia Eseeva (Animaccord, Blue Banana Entertainment, Europa Park), Konstantin Tomilchenko (Ukraine’s got talent), Tala Onyschuk (Ukraine’s got talent), Evgeniy Kot (Ukraine’s got talent), Maksim Pekniy (Ukraine’s got talent), Taus Makhacheva (Apache crew), Anatoly Sachivko (Apache crew), Nikita Kuzmenko (Apache crew), Amr Mcgyver (Mcgyver stunts), Hannah Lux Davis (Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, Jessie J.), Virgil Ferragut (Lamborgini Lanzador, Amazon, Etisalat), to name but a few, and I took this wealth of experience forward as I embarked on my next endeavours.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Looking at my life experience, I’ve noticed that, intuitively, I’ve successfully done things I had no prior knowledge of. According to George Ivanovich Gurdjieff, a person has three centres: emotional, mental, and physical’. As a child, my emotional centre always prevailed, making me attentive and empathetic toward the people around me. With the advent of video players and music devices, I fell in love with movies, cartoons, and films. This sparked my desire to become an actor, play the drums, and dance. Naturally, my heightened emotionality made me deeply affected by personal experiences, which eventually led me to psychology.

I’ve always preferred activities that filled me emotionally and that’s why, in school and university, I actively participated in events and represented my school at city-level competitions. Later, I spent most of my time training.

Regarding my intellectual centre, as a child, I read fairy tales and detective stories. In school, I loved math, biology, and foreign languages. I felt that I succeeded in things that resonated with me internally. But I was also raised with the belief that sometimes, we do things simply because they are necessary and right. Before studying psychology and attending therapy, I faced many unanswered questions: What am I feeling? What caused these feelings? How do I change what I feel? Why do things happen the way they do? Why are people the way they are? And so on. As I explored myself, I began to understand my own patterns, reactions, thought processes, feelings, and emotions.

I realized that learning to see the beauty in the world creates beauty around you. The same applies to happiness. Everything around us is a fact of reality, but it is the individual who gives this reality its colour. The depth of a situation determines how much it can fill and expand the space within us.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.behance.net/vladyslyalenko
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vladyslav.yalenko?igsh=enYxZ2dyZnV0YTI2&utm_source=qr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL92poY0XmIarWGVErWaldItjzw2WjxTI3&si=gVA_RhlZ-duKzVXu

Image Credits
Anatoliy Sachivko, Max Grigo, Vladyslav Olieinikov, Tatiana Konova (House of Melika), Serge Kain (FP model), Krishan Kugan (MMG talent)