In order to succeed in a cosmopolitan city like New York, one often needs to compete against the best in the world. But when competition is part of your nature and you have nothing left to do but show your best.

When a decade ago rhythmic gymnast Sylvia Taseva went on a vacation to New York, she didn’t even think that she would soon move there to chase the American dream. The “crazy and fast way of living” was so attractive to her that she decided to live it.

Because of the harsh sport regime under the training of Neshka Robeva during her childhood, Sylvia did not want to hear about gymnastics anymore. But fate had its word and placed her in the role of someone who could change the drastic and harsh methods of training. Years followed and the young trainer saw that she could not effectively use the methods she learned in her home country. She managed to win the trust of gymnasts with the motto “what you give is what you’ll get”

Her successes in training many American girls for the highest levels of gymnastics and to raise the level of the national team of Puerto Rico, have turned her life into a dream come true.

“In the summer of 2016 I finally managed to open my own rhythmic gymnastics club in New York,” she says. “And this is a big victory, because this is a city that is hard to live in as it requires exceptional work in order to succeed. I started with training several children and now there are over forty. I am happy to say that I already have Bulgarian children in the team – this is something I've always dreamed about during those 12 years of coaching and I'm terribly proud because in this way I promote not only Bulgarian gymnastics overseas, but I but I teach Bulgarian children about it. These children will not return to Bulgaria but I hope the thread linking them to the country will not be broken as I try to teach them what I was once taught.”

“It all started with the arrival of Lola (Madonna's daughter Lourdes) with her bodyguards,” Sylvia Tasseva recalls. During the first days we were not even sure if this was really her, as everything had to be incognito. But there was a show and parents were invited, so Madonna was there watching her daughter. I had the chance to meet her. She is very demanding to her daughter who is well- disciplined. She is wonderful - very intelligent and respectful to people.”

Currently Sylvia feels that she has accomplished her dream and does not know if she would return to Bulgaria as her new life has changed her.

“I am more open to the world; I do not set limits to myself and do not close my eyes to things I do not like,” Silvia Tasseva says. “I do not follow expectations of other people around me and do what I know and want. Moreover, I have become more relaxed and not so shy.”

English: Alexander Markov