About Circus

History of our Circus

The Old Moscow Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard is one of the oldest circuses in Russia. The former rider and gymnast Albert Salamonski established the permanent brick building for the circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard in Moscow in 1880. On the 20th of October 1880 the circus was opened with five rows of seats, box seats, a dress circle, wooden unnumbered benches and a standing gallery . In 1884, brick stalls were built and, in 1889 a swimming pool was added. Albert Salamonski, himself a remarkable rider, found and attracted to the circus the best horse acts as well as other phenomenal acts from all over the world. At that time the circus began to expand its repertoire with elaborate pantomimes and special performances for children.

In 1919 the Circus was nationalized in accordance with a decree from Lenin becoming the first Moscow State Circus. During World War II (1941-1945) the circus ran uninterrupted. New performances were produced including special stunts which enacted military hostilities... (more)

Yury V. Nikulin

General Manager and Artistic Director of the Moscow Circus on Tzvetnoy Boulevard 1982 - 1997. National Artist of the USSR, Socialist Labor Hero, Laureate of the Russian State Award

"I always believed that those circus people who compel others to burst out laughing are the most important ones". When Nikulin attended his first circus at the age of five the only thing he remembered were clowns. After the war, in 1946, he entered the clown studio at the Moscow Circus on Tzvetnoy Boulevard. Upon graduation he worked for two years as an assistant to the famous russian clown Karandash. As a clown Nikulin performed with his wife Tatyana and his devoted partner Michael Shuydin. Together they devised many funny and interesting clown reprises and scenes often finding plots in the real life and focusing attention on the funny things. The audience always waited eagerly for their beloved artists to perform. "My profession is tomake people laugh, to evoke laugh by all means. And I am always pleased when I cause joy." (more)