Düsseldorf. AVP e.V. recently invited people into a white marquee on a meadow in Vennhausen. The laying of the foundation stone for a day care center was to be celebrated there. Such events are usually nice but tend to get a little boring. Not this time: the funky music was turned so high that even those with poor circulation got going.
And then there was Vladimir Adrienko, the slim moderator in a blue suit, who made everybody smile with his little anecdotes and jokes.
Time and again he took a pot at himself and his not-so-textbook manner of speech: “Three genitives (German grammatical case), two of them correct – that’s good!” The explanation: “My German language was not born with me.”
Pretty clever, you might think, and learn from your neighbor at the table that there’s no wonder in that. “He’s a comedian!”
In fact, Vladimir Adrienko has been active as a comedian for quite a while in a scene that is only known to insiders in Germany: Comedy Derby (or Comedy Battle) originated in Russia and stages this kind of cabaret as team work. When Vladimir Adrienko came to Düsseldorf from Kazakhstan twelve years ago, he was twenty-two years old. He had worked as history teacher but his certificate was not acknowledged in Germany. But he brought along his experience in comedy and in 2014 he and the NRW selection became vice champions in Karlsruhe. His hobby is also an advantage for his work with adolescents.
He has been coaching teams for the comedy competition that will hold its public finale on June 28th, 5pm at Zakk, for six years. The adolescents attend weekly practice sessions to have fun with their friends. “But in order to have fun, you need to work” says Adrienko. For this reason it is better not to build a team with friends. Expectations are too high and result in disappointment and fights.
Adrienko thinks that talent is not the most important thing. “You can learn to be spontaneous.” The same holds true for working with adolescents who are said to be difficult and hard to motivate. It is essential to find a topic they are interested in. There is however one thing that Adrienko himself needs motivation for: to receive a certificate that is acknowledged in Germany, he needs to bring his social work studies of many years to a good end. Sonja Schmitz.
Source: RP.
