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The Nikulin Circus is one of the oldest in Russia, and the traditional home of the world-famous Moscow State Circus. The original stone building was founded on Tsvetnoi Bulvar in 1880 by the rider and gymnast Albert Salamonsky. Initially, the circus was most famous for its trick riding acts, but an increasingly wide variety of performers joined the repertoire, and later the stars of the show became the clowns. In 1946, the Clown Studio was established, and its alumni included the great clown and comic actor Yuri Nikulin, who performed at the circus for over twenty years and became Chief Producer there, as well as starring in a number of extremely popular Soviet-era film comedies. The circus has been renamed in honor of this much-loved performer, and a statue of him stands in front of the building. Although it's called the 'Old' Circus - to differentiate it from the Big Circus on Prospekt Vernadskogo - it was in fact completely rebuilt in the 1980's, and the building and the auditorium seem more like a theater than a big top, with a plush red interior and comfortable seating. The shows at the Nikulin Circus also have a very theatrical feel to them, with quite a formal atmosphere, a serious approach to circus artistry, and the acts normally connected by a particular theme or narrative thread.
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