Circopedia - Recent changes [en]

Maria Andreeva

2026-04-20T23:50:15Z

Egor Sukhorukov

2026-04-20T23:49:26Z

Maria Andreeva

2026-04-20T23:46:20Z

File:Andreeva and Sukhorukov - Girona.jpg

2026-04-20T23:45:14Z

File:Andreeva and Sukhorukov - Girona.jpg

2026-04-20T23:43:38Z

Djando uploaded File:Andreeva and Sukhorukov - Girona.jpg Maria Andreeva & Egor Sukhorukov being presented with the ''Elefant d'Or'' at the Festival Internacional del Circ of Girona]], Spain (2026) — ''Photo X''

Main Page

2026-04-20T21:42:37Z

Valentin Gneushev

2026-04-20T21:41:10Z

‎See Also

Aleksandr Streltsov

2026-04-20T20:47:55Z

Aleksandr Streltsov

2026-04-20T20:47:02Z

Created page with "==Aerialist== * Video: Aleksandr Stretsov, ''Angel'', strap act (1990) Stretsov, AleksandrCategory:Aerialists|Stre..."

New page

==Aerialist==

* Video: [[Streltsov_Video_(1990)|Aleksandr Stretsov, ''Angel'']], strap act (1990)

[[Category:Artists and Acts|Stretsov, Aleksandr]][[Category:Aerialists|Stretsov, Aleksandr]][[Category:Strap Acts|Stretsov, Aleksandr]]

Streltsov Video (1990)

2026-04-20T20:44:39Z

Created page with "Aleksandr Streltsov, ''Angel'', strap act (excerpts), created by Valentin Gneushev (1990) {{#ev:vimeo|1184949431|740}} ==See Also== * Biography: Aleksandr Streltsov..."

New page

Aleksandr Streltsov, ''Angel'', strap act (excerpts), created by [[Valentin Gneushev]] (1990)

{{#ev:vimeo|1184949431|740}}

==See Also==

* Biography: [[Aleksandr Streltsov]]

[[Category:Video Archive|Streltsov, Aleksandr]]

Valentin Gneushev

2026-04-20T18:11:10Z

‎Epilogue

Main Page

2026-04-20T06:05:01Z

Valentin Gneushev

2026-04-20T05:59:46Z

‎See Also

Yelena Larkina

2026-04-20T05:58:22Z

‎See Also

Larkina Video (1993)

2026-04-20T05:52:34Z

Created page with "Yelena Larkina, hula-hoop act (excerpts), as originally staged by Valentin Gneushev (1993) {{#ev:vimeo|1184697372|740}} ==See Also== * Biography: Yelena Larkina ..."

New page

Yelena Larkina, hula-hoop act (excerpts), as originally staged by [[Valentin Gneushev]] (1993)

{{#ev:vimeo|1184697372|740}}

==See Also==

* Biography: [[Yelena Larkina]]

[[Category:Video Archive|Larkina, Yelena]]

James Clowney

2026-04-20T05:42:39Z

‎An International Circus Career

Gneushev Video (c.1990)

2026-04-20T05:32:32Z

Main Page

2026-04-20T03:10:00Z

Valentin Gneushev

2026-04-20T03:01:46Z

‎See Also

Gneushev Video (c.1990)

2026-04-20T03:00:18Z

Gneushev Video (c.1990)

2026-04-20T02:58:41Z

Created page with "Valentin Gneushev's interview on Russian Television (c.1990), interspersed with excerpts of later videos of Yelena Larkina, the Duo Bondarenko, as well as a piece of a..."

New page

Valentin Gneushev's interview on Russian Television (c.1990), interspersed with excerpts of later videos of [[Yelena Larkina]], the [[Duo Bondarenko]], as well as a piece of acrobatic dance, which he had created (''in Russian'') — ''Document: RodGosTsirk''

{{#ev:vimeo|1184614277|740}}

==See Also==

* Biography: [[Valentin Gneushev]]

[[Category:Video Archive|Gneushev, Valentin]]

Valentin Gneushev

2026-04-19T20:54:45Z

‎See Also

Main Page

2026-04-19T20:52:11Z

Duo Bondarenko

2026-04-19T20:51:04Z

Duo Bondarenko

2026-04-19T20:50:11Z

Created page with "==Jugglers== * Video: Duo Bondarenko, juggling act (excerpts)]], archival document (1993) Bondarenko DuoCategory:..."

New page

==Jugglers==

* Video: [[Bondarenko_Video_(1993)|Duo Bondarenko]], juggling act (excerpts)]], archival document (1993)

[[Category:Artsits and Acts|Bondarenko Duo]][[Category:Jugglers|Bondarenko Duo]]

Bondarenko Video (1993)

2026-04-19T20:47:09Z

Created page with "Duo Bondarenko, juggling act (excerpts), staged by Valentin Gneushev (1993) {{#ev:vimeo|1184616543|740}} ==See Also== * Biography: Duo Bondarenko Category:Video..."

New page

Duo Bondarenko, juggling act (excerpts), staged by [[Valentin Gneushev]] (1993)

{{#ev:vimeo|1184616543|740}}

==See Also==

* Biography: [[Duo Bondarenko]]

[[Category:Video Archive|Bondarenko Duo]]

Valentin Gneushev

2026-04-19T19:41:55Z

‎Epilogue

Evgeny Pimonenko Video (1997)

2026-04-19T19:24:19Z

‎See Also

Valentin Gneushev

2026-04-19T19:19:45Z

‎Final Bow: The Gneushev Studio

File:Valentin Gneushev Teens.jpg

2026-04-19T19:16:52Z

File:Valentin Gneushev Teens.jpg

2026-04-19T19:15:43Z

Djando uploaded File:Valentin Gneushev Teens.jpg Young Valentin Gneushev in his teens (c.1965) — ''Circopedia Archive''

File:Young Valentin Gneushev.jpg

2026-04-19T19:11:23Z

Djando uploaded File:Young Valentin Gneushev.jpg Valentin Gneushev as a teenager (c.1970) — ''Circopedia Archive''

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 * Video: [[Andreeva_Video_(2019)|Maria Andreeva, cloud swing/corde lisse combo]], at the Festival International des Artistes de Cirque (2019)
 * Video: [[Andreeva-Sukhorukov_Video_(2025)|Maria Andreeva & Egor Sukhorukov, corde lisse]], at Circus Nikulin in Moscow (2025)
 ==Image Gallery==

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	* Video: [[Andreeva-Sukhorukov_Video_(2025)\|Egor Sukhorukov & Maria Andreeva, corde lisse]], at Circus Nikulin in Moscow (2025)		* Video: [[Andreeva-Sukhorukov_Video_(2025)\|Egor Sukhorukov & Maria Andreeva, corde lisse]], at Circus Nikulin in Moscow (2025)
		+
		+	==See Also==
		+
		+	* Biography: [[Maria Andreeva]]
		+
		+	==Image Gallery==
		+
		+	<Gallery>
		+	File:Andreeva_and_Sukhorukov_-_Girona.jpg\|Maria Andreeva_&_Egor Sukhorukov (2026)
		+	</Gallery>

	[[Category:Artists and Acts\|Sukhorukov, Egor]][[Category:Aerialists\|Sukhorukov, Egor]][[Category:Spanish Web\|Sukhorukov, Egor]]		[[Category:Artists and Acts\|Sukhorukov, Egor]][[Category:Aerialists\|Sukhorukov, Egor]][[Category:Spanish Web\|Sukhorukov, Egor]]

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 * Video: [[Andreeva_Video_(2019)|Maria Andreeva, cloud swing/corde lisse combo]], at the Festival International des Artistes de Cirque (2019)
 * Video: [[Andreeva-Sukhorukov_Video_(2025)|Maria Andreeva & Egor Sukhorukov, corde lisse]], at Circus Nikulin in Moscow (2025)
 [[Category:Artists and Acts|Andreeva, Maria]][[Category:Aerialists|Andreeva, Maria]][[Category:Spanish Web|Andreeva, Maria]][[Category:Cloud Swing|Andreeva, Maria]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:45, 20 April 2026
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	Maria Andreeva & Egor Sukhorukov being presented with the ''Elefant d'Or'' at the [[Festival Internacional del Circ]] of Girona]], Spain (2026) — ''Photo X''		Maria Andreeva & Egor Sukhorukov being presented with the ''Elefant d'Or'' at the [[Festival Internacional del Circ]] of Girona]], Spain (2026) — ''Photo X''
		+
		+	==See Also==
		+
		+	* Biographies: [[Maria Andreeva]], [[Egor Sukhorukov]]
		+
		+	[[Category:Photo Archive\|Andreeva, Maria]]

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 ==New Videos==
 * [[Larkina_Video_(1993)|Yelena Larkina]], hula-hoop act (1993)
 * [[Bondarenko_Video_(1993)|Duo Bondarenko]], jugglers (1993)
 * [[Lauenburger_Dog_Video_(2025)|Wolgang Lauenburger]], dog act (2025)
 * [[Balkanski_Trio_Video_(2025)|Trio Balkanski]], roller-skating act (2025)
 ==New Oral Histories==

@@ Line 88: / Line 88: @@
 * Video: [[Simonov's_Hommage_a_Leotard_Video_(1993)|''Hommage à Léotard'', Flying Act]]
 * Video: [[Evgeny_Pimonenko_Video_(1997)|Evgeny Pimonenko: ''Your Pierrot'', Juggler]]
 * Video: [[Zemskov_Russian_Barre_Video_(1995)|The Zemskov Troupe, Russian Barre]]
 * Video: [[Zemskov_-_Perch_Act_Video_(1995)|The Zemskov Troupe, Perch-Pole Balancing]]
 * Video: [[Ivakhnenko_Video_(2004)|Andrey Ivakhnenko, Slack Wire]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ==Aerialist==
-* Video: [[Streltsov_Video_(1990)|Aleksandr Stretsov, ''Angel'']], strap act (1990)
+* Video: [[Streltsov_Video_(1990)|Aleksandr Stretsov, ''Angel'']], strap act created by [[Valentin Gneushev]] (1990)
 [[Category:Artists and Acts|Stretsov, Aleksandr]][[Category:Aerialists|Stretsov, Aleksandr]][[Category:Strap Acts|Stretsov, Aleksandr]]

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 But Valentin Gneushev had a rule that some of his later would-be successors often forgot: He used only highly skilled performers, who mastered their specialty. They were all superb technicians. Valentin never tried to compensate technical weakness with unconventional, eye-catching staging; on the contrary, he used the superior skills of his students to create a work of art that was unquestionably a true circus act&mdash;and therefore, unequivocally, not a piece of dance or movement theater. He took remarkable circus performers and turned them into extraordinary circus artists. This was his true genius and will be his true legacy.
-In his twilight years, Valentin's health began to decline, both physically and, to some extent, mentally: It is hard for someone who was at a time considered a genius (and a genius indeed he was) to be socially forgotten. In his last years, his appearance became that of an old eccentric character, which made him impossible to ignore, but also sometimes difficult to recognize. Then, in the week of March 9, 2026, his daughter, who took care of him, was worried by his sudden silence. On March 11, she went to his apartment in Moscow , and found him unresponsive: He had died of heart failure, alone.
+In his twilight years, Valentin's health began to decline, both physically and, to some extent, mentally: It is hard for someone who was at a time considered a genius (and a genius indeed he was) to become socially isolated. In his last years, his appearance became that of an old eccentric character, which made him impossible to ignore, but also sometimes difficult to recognize. Then, in the week of March 9, 2026, his daughter, who took care of him, was worried by his sudden silence. On March 11, she went to his apartment in Moscow , and found him unresponsive: He had died of heart failure, alone.
-Valentin Gneushev's passing was largely reported and commented by Russian news media: He was remembered as a major figure in the Russian performing arts. He was laid to rest at the Troyekurovskoye cemetery, near Moscow. Valentin once told a friend: "I will speak someone else's words, but I like them. 'To be joyful is a necessity and a duty.' This was written by [Gabriel Marcía] Márquez. The meaning of life is in joy. And this is what I am telling you now, when I am tormented by people, the structure of the world, love. I will never give up joy. We should rejoice at everything. Rejoice at a funeral&mdash;when a person has finally died."
+Valentin Gneushev's passing was largely reported and commented by Russian news media: He was remembered as a major figure in the Russian performing arts; he was also an epoch-making figure in Circus history. He was laid to rest at the Troyekurovskoye cemetery, near Moscow. Valentin once told a friend: "I will speak someone else's words, but I like them. 'To be joyful is a necessity and a duty.' This was written by [Gabriel Marcía] Márquez. The meaning of life is in joy. And this is what I am telling you now, when I am tormented by people, the structure of the world, love. I will never give up joy. We should rejoice at everything. Rejoice at a funeral&mdash;when a person has finally died."
 == See Also ==

@@ Line 92: / Line 92: @@
 * Video: [[Ivakhnenko_Video_(2004)|Andrey Ivakhnenko, Slack Wire]]
 * Video: [[Gasser and Kreer Video 1995|Johnny Gasser & Yury Kreer, Hand-to-Hand Balancing]]
-* Video: [[Larkina_Video_(1994)|Yelena Larkina, Hula-Hoops]]
+* Video: [[Larkina_Video_(1993)|Yelena Larkina, Hula-Hoops]]
 * Video: [[Kurbanov_Video_(1994)|The Kurbanov Troupe, Risley act]]
 * Video: [[Diana_and_Yury_Video|Yury Shavro and Diana Aleshchenko, Unicycle]]

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 ==See Also==
 * Video: [[Larkina_Video_(1994)|Yelena Larkina, hula-hoop act]], at the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain (1994)
 * Video: [[Yelena_Larkina_BAC_Video_2007|Yelena Larkina, hula-hoop act]], in the Big Apple Circus production of ''Celebrate'' (2007)

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 James eventually joined the Big Apple Circus Company in 1993 for its production of ''Carnevale in Venice''. He appeared in the show as a tumbler and acrobat in various tableaus. Turned professional, he would participate in three more Big Apple Circus productions until 1997&mdash;notably in a hand-to-hand balancing act with [[Melinda Merlier]] and Carlos Guity, in a comedy tumbling act with [[Julian Stachowski]], Carlos Guity, [[Al Calienes]], and [[Elena Panova]], in a Russian barre act with Julian Stachowski and Carlos Guity, and in a teeterboard act with Melinda Merlier, Carlos Guity, Julian Stachowski, and the [[William Woodcock, Jr.|Woodcock]] elephants: A versatile performer indeed!
-Then, in 1998, James went to work at Cirque Du Soleil for the Canadian circus's restaging of its old production of ''Saltimbanco''. James was originally cast as an acrobat and character in the show, but his presence and comedic talent eventually earned him the central role of "The Ringmaster." He would tour the world with ''Saltimbanco'' for fifteen years before leaving the show in 2012.
+Then, in 1998, James went to work at Cirque Du Soleil for the Canadian circus's restaging of its old production of ''Saltimbanco''. James was originally cast as an acrobat and character in the show, but his presence and comedic talent eventually earned him the central role of "The Ringmaster." James was an excellent spotter, and didn't hesitate to put himself at risk to save a fellow performer. In 2008, he suffered leg and ankle fractures after he broke a twelve-meter fall (about thirty feet) by another acrobat, Yannick Blackburn. He was credited with saving Blackburn's life. James would tour the world with ''Saltimbanco'' for fifteen years before leaving the show in 2012.
 Then, at age forty, James Clowney left the circus altogether and went to work for a time as a security professional for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. He settled in Las Vegas, where Cirque du Soleil employees and alumni are many, and eventually created his own business, ''Armchair Millionaire Academy''&mdash;the title of which corresponds well with his sense of humor.

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:32, 20 April 2026
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−	Valentin Gneushev's interview on Russian Television (c.1990), interspersed with excerpts of later videos of [[Yelena Larkina]], the [[Duo Bondarenko]], and a piece of acrobatic dance, which he had created. (''In Russian.'') — ''Document: RosGosTsirk''	+	Valentin Gneushev's interview on Russian Television (c.1990), interspersed with excerpts of later videos of [[Evgeny Pimonenko]], [[Yelena Larkina]], the [[Duo Bondarenko]], [[Aleksandr Steltsov]], and a piece of acrobatic dance, which he had created. (''In Russian.'') — ''Document: RosGosTsirk''

	{{#ev:vimeo\|1184614277\|740}}		{{#ev:vimeo\|1184614277\|740}}

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 ==New Oral Histories==
 * [[Dominique_Jando_Video_(2025)|Dominique Jando interview]] by the Circus Historical Society (2025)
 * [[Evelyn_and_Andre_Video_(2015)|Evelyn & André Interview]] on Blikk TV (2015)
 * [[BAC_Blumberg_Video_(1977)|''For A Moment You Fly'']], The First Season of The Big Apple Circus (1977)
 * [[Durov_Documentary_Video_(c.2000)|Vladimir Durov Documentary]] on Russian Television (c.2000)
 ==Circopedia Books==

@@ Line 83: / Line 83: @@
 == See Also ==
 * Video: [[Pavlenko_Video_(1990)|Nikolai Pavlenko, Tiger Act]]
 * Video: [[Vladimir_Tsarkov_BAC_1992_Video|Vladimir Tsarkov: ''The Red Harlequin'', Juggler]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:00, 20 April 2026
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−	Valentin Gneushev's interview on Russian Television (c.1990), interspersed with excerpts of later videos of [[Yelena Larkina]], the [[Duo Bondarenko]], ~~as well as~~ a piece of acrobatic dance, which he had created (''in Russian'') — ''Document: ~~RodGosTsirk~~''	+	Valentin Gneushev's interview on Russian Television (c.1990), interspersed with excerpts of later videos of [[Yelena Larkina]], the [[Duo Bondarenko]], and a piece of acrobatic dance, which he had created. (''In Russian.'') — ''Document: RosGosTsirk''

	{{#ev:vimeo\|1184614277\|740}}		{{#ev:vimeo\|1184614277\|740}}

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 * Video: [[Kurbanov_Video_(1994)|The Kurbanov Troupe, Risley act]]
 * Video: [[Diana_and_Yury_Video|Yury Shavro and Diana Aleshchenko, Unicycle]]
 * Video: [[Elena_Borodina_Video_2001|Elena Borodina, Hand Balancer]]
 * Video: [[Perezvony_Video_(c_2005)|''Perezvony'' Flying Act]]

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 ==Jugglers==
-* Video: [[Bondarenko_Video_(1993)|Duo Bondarenko]], juggling act (excerpts)]], archival document (1993)
+* Video: [[Bondarenko_Video_(1993)|Duo Bondarenko, juggling act (excerpts)]], archival document (1993)
 [[Category:Artsits and Acts|Bondarenko Duo]][[Category:Jugglers|Bondarenko Duo]]

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 ===Cirk Valentin and Other Experiments===
+[[File:CIRK_VALENTIN_(1991).jpg|thumb|left|300px|Cirk Valentin Poster (1991)]]
 Finally, SoyuzGosTsirk began to include some of Gneushev’s acts in the foreign tours of the [[Moscow Circus]] companies, which attracted the curiosity of journalists and producers. One of these producers was Steve Lieber, who had organized very successful tours of the Moscow Circus in the United States in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1991, Lieber launched a revolutionary concept: ''Cirk Valentin'', a stage production displaying the best of Valentin’s acts, with Bobby Previte as music composer.
-[[File:CIRK_VALENTIN_(1991).jpg|thumb|left|300px|Cirk Valentin Poster (1991)]]The show premiered in New York at the Gershwin Theatre, a major Broadway house, on November 6, 1991. It was choreographed by [[Pavel Brun]], who had been for years Gneushev’s assistant and choreographer. Brun was to work later with [[Franco Dragone]] for Cirque du Soleil, and became the associate director of Celine Dion's show, ''A New Day'', at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas (2002-2007).
+The show premiered in New York at the Gershwin Theatre, a major Broadway house, on November 6, 1991. It was choreographed by [[Pavel Brun]], who had been for years Gneushev’s assistant and choreographer. Brun was to work later with [[Franco Dragone]] for Cirque du Soleil, and became the associate director of Celine Dion's show, ''A New Day'', at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas (2002-2007).
 Although it was not a commercial success and closed after a poorly attended two-month run, and its format was slightly controversial at the time&mdash;mostly because its production values were rather cheap for a Broadway show, which gave critics a misled reading of its concept&mdash;''Cirk Valentin'' actually pioneered the subsequent trend of stage circuses, established the notion of authorship (or ''cirque d’auteur'') in contemporary circus, and helped to definitely ascertain Valentin Gneushev as a name to contend with on the international circus scene.
@@ Line 49: / Line 49: @@
 The most spectacular feature of Cirk Valentin was a groundbreaking aerial bars act, ''[[Perezvony]]'' (''Chimes''), an impressively dark aerial piece performed to a symphonic piece by Valery Gavrilin, in which the performers evoked swinging bells. (''Perezvony'' obtained a Silver Clown at the [[International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo]] in 1993.) This act was later reproduced in Cirque du Soleil’s ''Alegria'' and ''Mystère'' productions, after Cirque du Soleil had hired Gneushev’s longtime associate, Pavel Brun.
-''Cirk Valentin'' also featured the balancing act of [[Yelena Fedotova]] and Anatoly Stykan, The Russian Barre act of The [[Zemskov Troupe|Zemskovi]] in its original version, as well as their perch-pole act, and an act especially created for the occasion, ''Charlie'', a rola-bola act inspired by Chaplin's ''The Tramp'' and performed by Serguei Loskutov and his son, Serguei, Jr. Other Valentine's creations were Gennady Chijov's ''Rattango'',; Aleksandr Streltsov's ''Angel''; the juggler on rolling globe [[Yury Borzykin]].
+''Cirk Valentin'' also featured the balancing act of [[Yelena Fedotova]] and Anatoly Stykan, The Russian Barre act of The [[Zemskov Troupe|Zemskovi]] in its original version, as well as their perch-pole act, and an act especially created for the occasion, ''Charlie'', a rola-bola act inspired by Chaplin's ''The Tramp'' and performed by Serguei Loskutov and his son, Serguei, Jr. Other Valentine's creations were Gennady Chijov's ''Rattango'',; Aleksandr Streltsov's ''Angel''; the juggler on rolling globe [[Yury Borzykin]]. [[File:Yelena_Larkina.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Yelena Larkina]]
 For a few years, Gneushev continued to create acts for SoyuzGosTsirk, working in the organization’s illustrious [[Circus Studio]] in Moscow&mdash;where Piotr Maestrenko had built ''The Cranes'' and many other amazing aerial acts. But Paris’s Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain proved to be the platform on which Gneushev built his reputation and success. And after the fall of the Soviet Union, when individual Russian acts became available to the western market, many variety theaters and circuses, familiar with them though the Festival, began asking for “Valentin’s acts.”
@@ Line 61: / Line 61: @@
 During the early 1990s, while Valentin’s acts were beginning to invade the best circuses and variety theaters of the planet, his base remained the Circus Studio in Moscow. But in spite of his numerous international awards and his obvious success, his artistic vision still contrasted with the politics of SoyuzGosTsirk (which, after the fall of the Soviet regime would be renamed RosGosTsirk). Still reveling on memories of its past glory, the old central circus organization seemed unable to truly appreciate the changes that their own Valentin Gneushev was bringing to the international circus scene.
-[[File:Borodina.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Elena Borodina]]Not surprisingly, in 1993, Gneushev decided to become an independent producer and began to attract young performers away from the State circus company, and to create acts for them that could be offered individually to the western market. [[Maxim Nikulin]], son of the legendary clown and actor [[Yury Nikulin]] (1921-1997), who had succeeded his father at the helm of the "Old Circus" on Tsvetnoy Boulevard in Moscow (today [[Circus Nikulin]]) and had become one of the first Russian independent circus directors, offered Valentin a space in his circus to house the new Gneushev Studio.
+[[File:Borodina.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Elena Borodina]]Not surprisingly, in 1993, Gneushev decided to become an independent producer and began to attract young performers away from the State circus company, and to create acts for them that could be offered individually to the western market. [[Maxim Nikulin]], son of the legendary clown and actor [[Yury Nikulin]] (1921-1997), who had succeeded his father at the helm of the "Old Circus" on Tsvetnoy Boulevard in Moscow (today [[Circus Nikulin]]) and had become one of the first Russian independent circus directors, offered Valentin a space in his circus to house the new Gneushev Studio.
 Not only did the Gneushev Studio become the main crucible of the post-Soviet circus experimentation, but Maxim Nikulin also expanded his association with Valentin, and asked him to stage two of his Circus’s productions, ''Sweet!... Love'' (1996) and ''The Fair of Miracles'' (1997)&mdash;highly innovative and creative shows, as could be expected, which gave to the "Old Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard" a definitely new look.
@@ Line 79: / Line 79: @@
 In his twilight years, Valentin's health began to decline, both physically and, to some extent, mentally: It is hard for someone who was at a time considered a genius (and a genius indeed he was) to be socially forgotten. In his last years, his appearance became that of an old eccentric character, which made him impossible to ignore, but also sometimes difficult to recognize. Then, in the week of March 9, 2026, his daughter, who took care of him, was worried by his sudden silence. On March 11, she went to his apartment in Moscow , and found him unresponsive: He had died of heart failure, alone.
-Valentin Gneushev has been buried at the Troyekurovskoye cemetery, near Moscow. He once told a friend: "I will speak someone else's words, but I like them. 'To be joyful is a necessity and a duty.' This was written by [Gabriel Marcía] Márquez. The meaning of life is in joy. And this is what I am telling you now, when I am tormented by people, the structure of the world, love. I will never give up joy. We should rejoice at everything. Rejoice at the funeral - when a person has finally died."
+Valentin Gneushev's passing was largely reported and commented by Russian news media: He was remembered as a major figure in the Russian performing arts. He was laid to rest at the Troyekurovskoye cemetery, near Moscow. Valentin once told a friend: "I will speak someone else's words, but I like them. 'To be joyful is a necessity and a duty.' This was written by [Gabriel Marcía] Márquez. The meaning of life is in joy. And this is what I am telling you now, when I am tormented by people, the structure of the world, love. I will never give up joy. We should rejoice at everything. Rejoice at a funeral&mdash;when a person has finally died."
 == See Also ==
@@ Line 86: / Line 86: @@
 * Video: [[Vladimir_Tsarkov_BAC_1992_Video|Vladimir Tsarkov: ''The Red Harlequin'', Juggler]]
 * Video: [[Simonov's_Hommage_a_Leotard_Video_(1993)|''Hommage à Léotard'', Flying Act]]
-* Video: [[Evgeny_Pimonenko_Video_(1993)|Evgeny Pimonenko: ''Your Pierrot'', Juggler]]
+* Video: [[Evgeny_Pimonenko_Video_(1997)|Evgeny Pimonenko: ''Your Pierrot'', Juggler]]
 * Video: [[Zemskov_Russian_Barre_Video_(1995)|The Zemskov Troupe, Russian Barre]]
 * Video: [[Zemskov_-_Perch_Act_Video_(1995)|The Zemskov Troupe, Perch-Pole Balancing]]
@@ Line 103: / Line 103: @@
 Image:Valentin_Gneushev.jpg|Valentin Gneushev
 Image:Vladimir_Tsarkov_as_Red_Harlequin.jpg|Vladimir Tsarkov
 File:CIRK_VALENTIN_(1991).jpg|Cirk Valentin Poster (1991)
 Image:Cirk_Valentin.jpg|Cirk Valentin Playbill Cover (1991)
 File:Borodina.jpg|Elena Borodina
 </Gallery>
 [[Category:History|Gneushev, Valentin]][[Category:Circus Owners and Directors|Gneushev, Valentin]]

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 ==See Also==
-* Biography: [[Evgeny Pimonenko]]
+* Biographies: [[Evgeny Pimonenko]], [[Valentin Gneushev]]
 [[Category:Video|Pimonenko, Evgeny]]

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 ===From Clowning To Directing===
-Valentin Gneushev fell in love with the circus as a teenager, although he was destined to be a cook. Obviously, this was not his calling: At age fourteen he began to perform in a local Amateur Circus (the Russian equivalent of our Youth Circuses, albeit at a much higher artistic and technical level than in the West). He eventually decided to leave the Sverdlovsk Province and the industrial fumes of Nizhny Tagil (birthplace of the first Russian steam locomotive) and headed for Moscow, where he was accepted in the [[State College for Circus and Variety Arts (Moscow)|State College for Circus and Variety Arts]] (the “legendary Moscow Circus School”). There, he specialized as a clown.
+[[File:Valentin_Gneushev_Teens.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Valentin in his teens (c.1965)]]Valentin Gneushev fell in love with the circus as a teenager, although he was destined to be a cook. Obviously, this was not his calling: At age fourteen he began to perform in a local Amateur Circus (the Russian equivalent of our Youth Circuses, albeit at a much higher artistic and technical level than in the West). He eventually decided to leave the Sverdlovsk Province and the industrial fumes of Nizhny Tagil (birthplace of the first Russian steam locomotive) and headed for Moscow, where he was accepted in the [[State College for Circus and Variety Arts (Moscow)|State College for Circus and Variety Arts]] (the “legendary Moscow Circus School”). There, he specialized as a clown.
 In Moscow, Gneushev studied under Roman Viktiuk, Firs Zemtsev, and especially Serguei Kashtelian, who had a lasting influence on his work. He graduated in 1978 and formed a short-lived clown trio with two partners, in which he revealed a special aptitude for pantomime, as well as a need to distance himself from the conventional circus clowning of the period.
@@ Line 27: / Line 27: @@
 By the mid-1980s, Gneushev’s activity became completely devoted to the circus. One of the very first acts he had created was, in 1983, ''The Moscow Builders'', an extravagant, semi-ironic staging for Yury Odintsov’s perch pole act (an impressive but often boring Russian specialty), in which props and athletes evoked a tongue-in-cheek picture of proletarian street workers.
-[[Image:Vladimir_Tsarkov_as_Red_Harlequin.jpg|thumb|left|350px|Vladimir Tsarkov: ''The Red Harlequin'']]This act was perceived as somehow iconoclastic by the bureaucrats of [[SoyuzGosTsirk]] (the Soviet State Circus organization)&mdash;and their perception was indeed correct. But Valentin’s work was truly revealed to the world in 1987, when he introduced at Paris’ [[Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain]] the juggler [[Vladimir Tsarkov]] as ''The Red Harlequin'', an act he had created in 1985.
+[[Image:Vladimir_Tsarkov_as_Red_Harlequin.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Vladimir Tsarkov: ''The Red Harlequin'']]This act was perceived as somehow iconoclastic by the bureaucrats of [[SoyuzGosTsirk]] (the Soviet State Circus organization)&mdash;and their perception was indeed correct. But Valentin’s work was truly revealed to the world in 1987, when he introduced at Paris’ [[Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain]] the juggler [[Vladimir Tsarkov]] as ''The Red Harlequin'', an act he had created in 1985.
 Inspired by Picasso’s "Arlequin" paintings, the act shattered the traditional juggler image and reconstructed the artist’s movements into a true choreographic piece, with its own vision and imagery. It became immediately clear that Valentin’s talent as an act choreographer was his ability to fully develop the hidden potential of a performer’s personality and combine it with his or her technical achievements.
@@ Line 43: / Line 43: @@
 Finally, SoyuzGosTsirk began to include some of Gneushev’s acts in the foreign tours of the [[Moscow Circus]] companies, which attracted the curiosity of journalists and producers. One of these producers was Steve Lieber, who had organized very successful tours of the Moscow Circus in the United States in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1991, Lieber launched a revolutionary concept: ''Cirk Valentin'', a stage production displaying the best of Valentin’s acts, with Bobby Previte as music composer.
-[[File:CIRK_VALENTIN_(1991).jpg|thumb|right|300px|Cirk Valentin Poster (1991)]]The show premiered in New York at the Gershwin Theatre, a major Broadway house, on November 6, 1991. It was choreographed by [[Pavel Brun]], who had been for years Gneushev’s assistant and choreographer. Brun was to work later with [[Franco Dragone]] for Cirque du Soleil, and became the associate director of Celine Dion's show, ''A New Day'', at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas (2002-2007).
+[[File:CIRK_VALENTIN_(1991).jpg|thumb|left|300px|Cirk Valentin Poster (1991)]]The show premiered in New York at the Gershwin Theatre, a major Broadway house, on November 6, 1991. It was choreographed by [[Pavel Brun]], who had been for years Gneushev’s assistant and choreographer. Brun was to work later with [[Franco Dragone]] for Cirque du Soleil, and became the associate director of Celine Dion's show, ''A New Day'', at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas (2002-2007).
 Although it was not a commercial success and closed after a poorly attended two-month run, and its format was slightly controversial at the time&mdash;mostly because its production values were rather cheap for a Broadway show, which gave critics a misled reading of its concept&mdash;''Cirk Valentin'' actually pioneered the subsequent trend of stage circuses, established the notion of authorship (or ''cirque d’auteur'') in contemporary circus, and helped to definitely ascertain Valentin Gneushev as a name to contend with on the international circus scene.
@@ Line 61: / Line 61: @@
 During the early 1990s, while Valentin’s acts were beginning to invade the best circuses and variety theaters of the planet, his base remained the Circus Studio in Moscow. But in spite of his numerous international awards and his obvious success, his artistic vision still contrasted with the politics of SoyuzGosTsirk (which, after the fall of the Soviet regime would be renamed RosGosTsirk). Still reveling on memories of its past glory, the old central circus organization seemed unable to truly appreciate the changes that their own Valentin Gneushev was bringing to the international circus scene.
-[[File:Borodina.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Elena Borodina]]Not surprisingly, in 1993, Gneushev decided to become an independent producer and began to attract young performers away from the State circus company, and to create acts for them that could be offered individually to the western market. [[Maxim Nikulin]], son of the legendary clown and actor [[Yury Nikulin]] (1921-1997), who had succeeded his father at the helm of the "Old Circus" on Tsvetnoy Boulevard in Moscow (today [[Circus Nikulin]]) and had become one of the first Russian independent circus directors, offered Valentin a space in his circus to house the new Gneushev Studio.
+[[File:Borodina.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Elena Borodina]]Not surprisingly, in 1993, Gneushev decided to become an independent producer and began to attract young performers away from the State circus company, and to create acts for them that could be offered individually to the western market. [[Maxim Nikulin]], son of the legendary clown and actor [[Yury Nikulin]] (1921-1997), who had succeeded his father at the helm of the "Old Circus" on Tsvetnoy Boulevard in Moscow (today [[Circus Nikulin]]) and had become one of the first Russian independent circus directors, offered Valentin a space in his circus to house the new Gneushev Studio.
 Not only did the Gneushev Studio become the main crucible of the post-Soviet circus experimentation, but Maxim Nikulin also expanded his association with Valentin, and asked him to stage two of his Circus’s productions, ''Sweet!... Love'' (1996) and ''The Fair of Miracles'' (1997)&mdash;highly innovative and creative shows, as could be expected, which gave to the "Old Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard" a definitely new look.
@@ Line 100: / Line 100: @@
 <Gallery>
 Image:Valentin_Gneushev.jpg|Valentin Gneushev
 Image:Vladimir_Tsarkov_as_Red_Harlequin.jpg|Vladimir Tsarkov

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:16, 19 April 2026
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	Young Valentin Gneushev in his teens (c.1965) — ''Circopedia Archive''		Young Valentin Gneushev in his teens (c.1965) — ''Circopedia Archive''
		+
		+	==See Also==
		+
		+	* Biography: [[Valentin Gneushev]]
		+
		+	[[Category:Photo Archive\|Gneushev, Valentin]]