Bulgarian Christian Stoinev Reaches Semifinals of America's Got Talent

Bulgarian Christian Stoinev is among the 12 semifinalists of the 9-th season of America's Got Talent reality show, reports the Pressa daily.

Stoinev, 22, and his chihuaha Scooby, have a significant chance of winning the show.

He was born in Florida, to Sofia-born Ivan Stoinev, a fourth generation circus acrobat, who moved to the US in early 1990's, and his Mexican colleague Marica Ateidi.

Christian began performing at the age of five with his father in an acrobatic act and took up hand balancing at the age of 10. 

Christian graduated Illinois State University with a degree in broadcast journalism in 2013, becoming the first in his family to graduate from college. While in school, he continued to develop his craft as a member of the ISU Circus.  

His hand balancing routines with Scooby for America's Got Talent are being thought up by the entire family.

"We have a strategy", Ivan Stoinev said. "The results will be clear by end of next week." 

"Every time we have the chance, we come to Bulgaria", Ivan Stoinev told Pressa daily. "Last time it was in May 2013. Christian and his younger brother Christopher love Bulgarian food."