This is David Storm from Sochi (south Russia). He also know as a “Candy King” – he made a great show with cotton candy. Unfortunately, there is very little information about it – a few videos from the show on TV. I found this interview and made a translation for you so that this wonderful specialist would become more popular in the West!
David Storm: candy king
Time codes from Video
| 2-48 | I’m from Sochi, this city is situated on the Black Sea coast in Russia (There was the Winter Olympics in 2014) |
| In 2003, I started selling sweet cotton wool on the embankment, this place is called “Primorskaya Naberezhnaya”, there are always many tourists. I worked as an ordinary salesman, a hired employee. It was a part-time job because I was studying and wanted to earn a little pocket money | |
| 3-03 | I remember that one of the summer days the guys brought a tape recorder. Like everyone else I liked going to discos, dancing and listening to music. |
| 3-10 | I had a good mood and I began to dance to the music. It was just an improvisation, I’m not a professional dancer. I did not invent anything, everything went spontaneously, from somewhere out of my head.
People began to approach, they liked to watch me moving and making cotton candy. |
| 3-22 | I worked on this beach in 2003, 2004, 2005 and I think in 2006 too. In 2007, 2008 I worked in Adler, in 2009 in Lazarevsky. These are the resort towns on the Black Sea coast, where there are in summer many tourists from all over Russia. I ran along the embankment, standing up with my machine in one place or somewhere else. |
| 3-41 | In the capital of the Kuban – in the city of Krasnodar – I appeared in 2011. It was unplanned – my friends told me that there would be a City Day and I decided to come. Central Street (Krasnaya Street) was overlapped – I did not even know about it. I arrived without preparation, did not apply in advance for participation or for the organization of the outlet. We came with a friend, asked a retailer for a rosette and began to work. I looked at the number of people around and realized that others had much fewer viewers.
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| 3-54 | Question: Tell me, how did you get inspired exactly at the show to the music of the King of Pop-Music Michael Jackson? |
| When I was little, I liked his songs. I remember when at the age of 13, I turned on the TV – and there was shown Jackson’s video, and he was moving so cool! I think many people caught themselves thinking that his movements are fascinating! | |
| 4-08 | I asked: Who is singing? The sister replied: This is Michael Jackson. Since then, all his songs have firmly settled in my head. I just stopped listening to other music. I listened to it, but I liked Jackson much more than rock, classical or dance |
| 4-23 | Question: What do you feel when you start to dance when you go into character? |
| I feel that it’s not me anymore. When I stop taking a break – this is one sensation. When I work, when I’m immersed in the process, I feel myself differently. It’s like I’m on a wave as if I’m not quite here. As if there is some kind of energy that pulls me out, fills me with strength and gives me some super-abilities. As if all these dances are not done by me, but someone is controlling me. In general, I like what I do. | |
| 4-45 | Question: Does this happen spontaneously? |
| Absolutely. I do not control myself, I have no thoughts, that now I need to make this move. No dance, no choreography – it all comes momentarily. Every gesture, every movement – it comes from somewhere from the outside. As if signals are coming, and my body, my brain, is the antenna that catches these signals. | |
| 5-00 | Question: Please tell us how you got the idea to give and to distribute cotton candy? You do not sell it for money, as I understand? |
| When you give people cotton candy … You know, someone can just go through and not pay attention to it, take it and don’t say thank you – I’m never angry with such people. May God bless them! And someone sees the talent and puts the donations – doing by himself, the amount can be any. It can be 100 rubles, 50 or 20 rubles. The child is coming to you and gives you 3 rubles (5 cents), I’m still pleased because it’s an attention. Attention and human gratitude charge me with energy more than anything else, including money. Finance is a thing that comes and goes. And human feelings, relationships are something that we will remember all our lives. | |
| 5-33 | Question: Tell me, please, what would you advise people who want to reveal themselves creatively, but they are afraid to take the first step and they are embarrassed by the reaction of the surrounding people? |
| I would advise them just to listen to themselves and to be themselves. This is the most important thing – to be yourself. Do not change yourself, do not deceive yourself. If you feel that it’s yours – whatever people say around you, just go and develop. If you choose a dance – you will dance, dedicate yourself to this, become a worthy dancer. If you decide to make repairs – if it brings you pleasure, then study the experience of the best masters. If you want to sing, sing! If you want to work as a director, start your own business. The main thing is that the soul likes what you are doing. This is the most important, because if you do not feel it, then you will simply become degraded and decayed in life as a person. There will be nowhere to draw energy and a passion for life. | |
| 6-14 | Question: I understand that you yourself live according to this principle? |
| Yes, absolutely. I am also motivated by faith in God. I really believe in God, although some people think it’s funny in Russia. It is very important for me, without this it is impossible to imagine my life. He chooses a person and gives him natural talents – will you agree that children have already had different abilities for something? Our task is to find these talents and develop them. The Lord rejoices when we follow his destiny, develop the one given to us from above, achieve perfection in our sphere of activity. I think this is very important. Because if you do not believe in God, if you stand aside from it – although religions are different, even within the same religion there are different directions – you live without faith. What is the meaning of your life?
Faith gives us strength. No matter who you are – a Protestant, a Catholic, a Muslim. the name of religion does not absolutely matter – the main thing is that faith should be in the head and in the heart. If it is so, a person’s life is not meaningless. And the rest will come and leave: it’s like decorations, like a wrap, which has a different name, color, and taste. |
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| 7-01 | Presenter: David Storm, it is terrific! I did not expect that our conversation would go so far. Thank you very much! |
