Neshka Robeva

Neshka Stefanova Robeva (Bulgarian: Нешка Стефанова Робева; born 26 May 1946) is a Bulgarian former rhythmic gymnast and coach.

Neshka Robeva

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Personal information
Born	(1946-05-26) 26 May 1946 (age 79) Rousse, Bulgaria
Gymnastics career
Sport	Rhythmic gymnastics
Country represented	Bulgaria
Medal record Representing  Bulgaria World Championships 1969 Varna All-around 1969 Varna Free-hand 1969 Varna Hoop 1967 Copenhagen Free-hand 1969 Varna Rope 1973 Rotterdam Hoop 1973 Rotterdam Ball

Early life

Born in Rousse, Robeva moved to Sofia at 14 to study at the Bulgarian State Choreography School.^[1] She graduated from the School five years later, and while studying, she developed an interest in traditional Bulgarian dances.^[2]

Career

Robeva began gymnastics at the relatively late age of 20 in 1966 and won her first national championship four months later.^[2] She was a member of the Bulgarian national rhythmic gymnastics team until 1973. She took part in four World Championships (1967, 1969, 1971, 1973) and won silver in the all-around in 1969.^[2][3]

After her competitive career, Robeva started work as a coach at the "Levski" club. In 1978, she was appointed head coach of the Bulgarian National Team.^[3] Robeva briefly resigned in late 1989 due to political disagreements with the Bulgarian government and left to coach in Japan for two months, only to return after the fall of the Berlin Wall.^[2] She remained in head coach until 1999.^[4]

Her tenure was a very successful period for Bulgarian rhythmic gymnastics.^[2] She was noted both for success as a coach and for encouraging each gymnast to develop a sense of musical sensitivity and artistry. She would allow her gymnasts to go to discos and see how they danced to inspire the choreography for their routines.^[1] Gymnasts were allowed to contribute ideas to their routines and training, rather than having to fit to an entirely standardized system. She was initially criticized for this approach, but it resulted in routines that were praised for their originality and suited for each individual gymnast.^[3]

However, Robeva has also been criticized for imposing harsh discipline on her trainees.^[4] Former gymnasts recounted physical and psychological abuse, including extreme control over their weight and being beaten.^[1][5][6] Her neighbor recalled her forcing gymnasts who stayed at her house to vomit after meals.^[2] Robeva admitted to practices such as beating her gymnasts and continuing trainings past midnight.^[1][6]

The 25 years under Robeva's leadership are remembered as the "Golden Girls" period of the Bulgarian school in rhythmic gymnastics and her European and World champions as the "Golden Girls of Bulgaria". The successes of several generations of Bulgarian gymnasts are closely related with her name. Her gymnasts won 294 World, European and Olympic medals.^[1]

In 1988, Robeva was the choreographer and dance producer for the dance in the film Acatamus from the director Georgi Djulgerov.^[7] From 1993 until 1997, she was a member of the European Gymnastics Committee. She is currently the honorary president of the "Levski" rhythmic gymnastics club.^[8]

Robeva has also lead and choreographed for a dance troupe, Neshanal Art, whose performances blended traditional Bulgarian dances with other dance styles such as jazz and tango. Her shows Twin Kingdoms, which premiered in 2000, and Orisia toured for more than 250 international performances.^[2]

Personal life

Robeva married a fencer and had a daughter with him,^[3] though she and her husband later divorced. She was a close friend of the mystic Baba Vanga before the latter's death.^[2]

In 2016, she was awarded the Order of the Balkan Mountains, First Class, although she refused to accept it. She cited a controversy around whether she should be granted the award and said that she did not wish to cause issues for then-president Boyko Borisov, whom she had frequently spoken against in public but who had decided the dispute around the award in favor of granting it to Robeva.^[9]