Neshka Stefanova Robeva (; born 26 May 1946) is a

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

n former

rhythmic gymnast Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform individually or in groups on a floor with an apparatus: hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon and rope. The sport combines elements of gymnastics, dance and calisthenics; gymnasts must be strong, fle ...

and coach.

Biography

Born in

Rousse Ruse (also transliterated as Rousse, Russe; ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, fifth-largest city in Bulgaria. Ruse is in the northeastern part of the country, on the right bank of the Danube, opposite the Romanian city of Giurgiu, ...

, Robeva moved to

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

at 14 to study at the Bulgarian State Choreography School. She graduated from the School in "Bulgarian Dances" in 1966 and was a member of the Bulgarian national rhythmic gymnastics squad until 1973. She took part in four World Championships (

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...

, 1969,

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

). In 1974 Robeva graduated from the High Institute for Sports (now National Sports Academy) and started work as a coach at the "Levski-Spartak" club. The same year she was appointed head coach of the Bulgarian National Team and she remained in that position until 1999. This was a very successful period for Bulgarian rhythmic gymnastics. Robeva 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. However, Robeva has also been criticized for imposing harsh discipline and regimen on her trainees. Former gymnasts recounted physical and psychological abuse, including extreme control over their weight and being beaten. Robeva admitted to practices such as beating her gymnasts and continuing trainings past midnight. The 25 years under Robeva's leadership are remembered as the " Golden Girls Century" 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. In 1988 Robeva was the choreographer and dance producer for the dance in the film ''Acatamus'' from the director Georgi Djulgerov. From 1993 until 1997 she was a member of the European Gymnastics Committee. Robeva is currently the president of the ''Levski'' rhythmic gymnastics club.

References

External links

* * * 1946 births Living people Bulgarian rhythmic gymnasts Sportspeople from Ruse, Bulgaria Medalists at the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships {{Bulgaria-rhythmic-gymnastics-bio-stub