The Knife–Thrower's Target

Her name is Ekaterina Sknarina (above) and her stage name is 'Target Girl.'

She has been performing for the past three years with The Great Throwdini, aka David R. Adamovich, a "master of the impalement arts," as Greg Allen described him the June 19 New York Times.

Since June 13 Throwdini and Target Girl have been among the headliners of "Maximum Risk," a classically styled vaudeville/sideshow revue playing on Monday nights at Soho Playhouse.

Tonight, Throwdini will try to throw 120 knives in 60 seconds at Target Girl. (The current record is 77.)

Ms. Sknarina's resume includes the Russian national rhythmic gymnastics team and several years with Cirque du Soleil.

As part of her performance in "Maximum Risk," she also has her own dance and flexibility routine.

Allen's interview with her for his June 19 Times story was quite instructive; it follows.

Q. Is targeting very competitive?

A. Oh, no. It's a very close group of people, and there's no competition. I started in rhythmic gymnastics. I was really into it, and in Russia it is so competitive. Targeting's not like that, though. It's a very nice community.

Q. How's the money?

A. It's really hard making a living being a target girl. I have my act, which is a little dancy, and a little contortion, and a little rhythmic gymnastics. There's one girl who does a bed of machetes act; she's at Equinox — a personal trainer. And the other girl [in "Maximum Risk"], she doesn't have her own act, she just does the targeting. She's a jewelry designer, actually, who just does it for fun.

Q. What does it take to be a good target girl?

A. It all builds on trust. As long as you trust a person to throw a knife around you, you'll be fine. He [Throwdini] has a Web site, and you'd be surprised how many girls e-mail him, saying, "Can I please be your assistant?" But he prefers someone who's already been with some shows, who knows how that works, and who realizes it's all about him, and it's his act, not someone who just wants to be in the spotlight.

Q. What goes through your mind when you're up there?

A. The first few shows, I was nervous, and I was like, "Don't miss!" But it was kind of a rush. Now I've gotten used to it. Actually, you can explain the whole thing from a mathematical and physics point of view, and it's a very, very small chance to actually be stabbed.