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CIRCUS NIKULIN, MOSCOW

Circus buildings with a long history have something magical. They seem haunted by the protective ghosts of the great star performers who, over the years, have graced their ring. The world’s oldest extant circus building, Paris’s Cirque d’Hiver, where Jules Léotard originated the flying trapezeAerial act in which an acrobat is propelled from a trapeze to a catcher, or to another trapeze. (See also: Short-distance Flying Trapeze) in 1859, is one of them. The glorious Circus Ciniselli in St. Petersburg, Russia’s oldest circus, is another one. And in Moscow, there is Circus Nikulin—"the Old Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard"... (more...)

Recent Biographies

• Alberto Zoppé, Equestrian, Circus Owner
• Duo Mouvance, Aerialists
• The Knie family, Circus Owners
• The Qian Brothers, Jugglers
• Roby Gasser, Circus Director, Sea Lion Trainer

Featured Oral Histories

• Barry Lubin, Clown (Grandma) - Interview (Jando 2008)
• Fumagalli, Clown - Interview (Jando 2008)
• Kris Kremo, Juggler - Interview (Jando 2007)

Featured Video

• The Jokers, Flying Trapeze (1999)

A Message from the Editor

CIRCOPEDIA is a constantly evolving and expanding encyclopedia of the international circus. New videos, biographies, essays, and documents are added to the site on a weekly—and sometimes daily—basis. Keep visiting us: even if today you don't find what you're looking for, it may well be here tomorrow!

Dominique Jando