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One couple's unusual use of a warm Wednesday afternoon in New York has drawn international eyes after they scaled the tip of the Empire State Building to share a message – and apparently, a proposal.Two people were captured on camera atop the nearly 1,500-foot-tall structure on Wednesday, July 1, where they clung to the building's spire to unfurl a banner reading, "When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace."Photos captured by outlets like ABC showed one of the climbers, a man, sinking to one knee in what appeared to be a marriage proposal once the couple had dismounted the spire and returned to its base.As it turns out, the couple isn't new to enjoying romance thousands of feet in the air. The pair were self-identified via social media as Russian couple Ivan Beerkus and Angela Nikolau, daredevil climbers who were the subject of the 2024 documentary “Skywalkers: A Love Story”.Who is Ivan Beerkus?Ivan Beerkus is a 32-year-old Russian daredevil climber and self-proclaimed "rooftopper" known for scaling some of the world's tallest buildings without ropes or other safety gear.He built a following online by posting views from his (mostly illegal) climbs, scaling everything from skyscrapers and landmarks to cranes.The 2024 documentary “Skywalkers: A Love Story” explored his love story with Nikolau, whom he met in the rooftopping scene, and their 2022 mission to climb Merdeka 118, a 2,227-foot building in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Their relationship is deeply intertwined with their work, which requires them to trust one another in high-risk climbing situations.Who is Angela Nikolau?Angela Nikolau is a 33-year-old Russian daredevil climber and former gymnast.The child of circus performers, she likewise gained notoriety by traveling around the world to scale dangerous heights without ropes or safety gear and posting the resulting images online.Nikolau was the less experienced of the two when they met and looked up to Beerkus, seeking to emulate his climbs, she said in the documentary. Their romance ultimately bloomed on a 2016 trip to climb skyscraper Goldin Finance 117 in Tianjin, China.
