People's Artist of the Russian Federation Zapashny Askold Valterovich: biography, personal life, creativity. Circus of the Zapashny brothers. Helen Zapashnaya (Raikhlin) - wife of circus artist Askold Zapashny: biography, nationality, children

On Thursday, September 22, trainer Mstislav Zapashny, one of the brightest representatives of Russia's oldest circus dynasty, died at the age of 79. NTV tells about who the Zapashnys are and what made their circus dynasty famous.

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Walter and Mstislav Zapashny

Mikhail and Lydia Zapashny had five children: Sergei, Walter, Anna, Mstislav and Igor.

Mikhail did not want his children to work in the circus, he hoped that they would receive a good education, and therefore, in principle, did not take them on tour. However, during the Great Patriotic War, 16-year-old Walter and 6-year-old Mstislav had to perform an acrobatic act in the Saratov circus in order to feed their families. After the war, the boys remained in the circus and performed in a variety of genres: clowning, aerial gymnastics, horse riding, motorcycle racing, animal training, and taming predators.

And although over time the brothers began to perform separately, both came to training.

By the way, it was Walter Zapashny who for the first time saddled a lion in the arena and created the attraction “Among Predators”, in which tigers, lions, panthers and lynxes simultaneously participated.

And Mstislav graduated from the directing department of GITIS and became famous not only as a trainer, but also as a director of circus programs. So, in 1977 he created the only performance in the world where elephants and tigers were in the same cage, in 1996 the artist received the State Prize of the Russian Federation in the field of literature and art for it. No less famous is the heroic-historical circus performance-pantomime by Mstislav Zapashny "Spartacus", which has no analogues in the world in terms of the scale of the production. From 2003 to 2009, Mstislav Zapashny served as general director of the Russian State Circus.

Dynasty founders

The founder of the circus dynasty of tamers, gymnasts and acrobats Zapashny was the clown Karl Thomson, who toured in Tsarist Russia under the pseudonym Milton. Thompson's daughter, Lydia, from the age of 15 performed in the circus as a rider and gymnast, and her husband Mikhail Zapashny gave the dynasty a well-known surname.

Mikhail Zapashny was born in 1900 and had nothing to do with the circus - he worked as a port loader in the small seaside town of Yeysk. He was invited to the arena by the wrestler Ivan Poddubny, who noticed the remarkable strength of the young man. So, Mikhail began to practice in the genre of French wrestling and for some time performed under the pseudonym Eaglet. Later, he became interested in power acrobatics and became especially famous with the number "Acrobats-snipers", an element of which was shooting from a small-caliber rifle.

Edgard and Askold Zapashny

Edgar and Askold Zapashny are the most famous successors of the family tradition, the children of Walter Zapashny. At the age of seven, the brothers first entered the cage with predators and have since worked in a variety of circus genres. Now they are successfully touring the country. They received a number of circus awards, were recognized as the "Best Circus Artists of the Year", since 1999 they have been Honored Artists of Russia, and since 2012 they have been awarded the title of People's Artists.

Their older sister Maritza also became a circus performer, the world's only trainer of black panthers. In addition, Askold and Edgard have a huge number of cousins and sisters, all of them are somehow connected with the circus and perform on the arena independently of each other.

Dynasty of animal trainers Zapashny

Read below

Walter and Mstislav Zapashny

Mikhail and Lydia Zapashny had five children: Sergei, Walter, Anna, Mstislav and Igor.

And although over time the brothers began to perform separately, both came to training.

Dynasty founders

Edgard and Askold Zapashny

Dynasty of animal trainers Zapashny

A well-known family TV program came to visit. They filmed all the Zapashnys - Tatyana Vasilyevna, aunt Olya, Lyudmila Semyonovna, brothers. And Lenka and I were hiding in the next room almost in the closet, choking with laughter. For us it was just a game. If it's necessary for business - why not?

I sit down with a book on the sofa, the TV is on in the background. Hearing a familiar voice, she looked at the screen - some program was interviewing the trainer Zapashny.

Attention, spectators, before you is an enviable groom! - the leader rejoices. - Tell me, Edgard, what kind of girls do you like?

He takes on a thoughtful look and begins to list:

Beautiful, smart, with a sense of humor.

And you haven't met one yet?

No, I'm still looking.

We were connected by thirteen years of close relationship, but all these years Edgard portrayed a bachelor in front of the audience, this, of course, increased his popularity among the female half of the audience. Many celebrities live like this. It happens that they have long had wives and numerous children, and they all talk about the search for the ideal. However, we didn't have any children. And we did not reach the registry office. In the Zapashny dynasty there is, perhaps, a superstition - all men in their family found happiness only in a second marriage. The mystic is simple. Believe it or not. But Edgard believed in this and was afraid - if we get married, what if we immediately run away? I was of the same opinion: we can do without a stamp, because everything is fine anyway. But of course, we were a family. And the transformation of Edgard from a novice tamer into a real star happened before my eyes.

Children of circus performers grow up behind the scenes. My father, Vladimir Alexandrovich Petrikov, is a gymnast, and my mother, Larisa Nikolaevna, works with dogs. When I was little, we lived in Saratov, but traveled on tour almost twelve months a year.

Once in Rostov-on-Don - I was eight years old - I played near the rehearsal arena. And suddenly the prince swims on a white horse! A boy in a neat frock coat, his hair fluttering. The horse is tall, the stirrup and the boy's legs are at the level of my eyes, and he himself seems to soar in height. Like in a dream! It was Edgard, who also came on tour with his parents and younger brother Askold and then worked in the Higher Riding School room. It was very beautiful. When, years later, I reminded him of this incident, he said uncertainly: “Yes, there seemed to be some kind of girl.” But I remembered this story, and one day, under the window of my hotel room in Omsk, a heart-rending cry suddenly rang out: “Petrikova-ah! Look out!

I looked out and what do I see? My beloved is prancing on a white horse and waving to me! It turned out that near the circus, girls from the equestrian school were riding children and Edgard begged them for a horse in order to “amaze the girl.” I then teased him for a long time: “My pimple rode on a white horse!” Garik - that's what his closest relatives call him - was not offended, we always liked to play a trick on each other.

But I got ahead of myself. When I turned seventeen, I, a promising gymnast, was invited to work by Walter Mikhailovich Zapashny himself, the father of Edgard and Askold. Of course, she agreed, although she was terribly afraid of her mentor: everyone knew that he was a real monster at work. Rehearsals began at nine in the morning - and try to be late! And then many hours in a row - horses, aerial gymnastics, acrobatics. Edgard and I were preparing a new number "Pas de deux on horseback" - an acrobatic couple on the backs of running horses. It seems that everything: another five minutes - and you just collapse from fatigue. And then, smiling benevolently, Walter Mikhailovich finally says: “Now you can rest. - Just take your breath away, as he adds: - Do fifty push-ups. And then exercises on the press. By evening, she was barely alive. And Walter Mikhailovich all with the same intonation and facial expression: “Tired, dear? Get some rest, and I'll be waiting at nine tomorrow!

We rehearsed together with Baranka - that's what everyone calls my friend Elena Baranenko. We, the two Lenas, were given nicknames in the circus: she was named by her last name, and I was dubbed Malaya for my short stature. Baranenko is downright a landmark of our team, a walking joke. Blonde with blue eyes, active and easy to communicate, she has such a high voice that people start to giggle as soon as they hear it. Although Lena does not specifically try to make anyone laugh, it goes without saying.

I started my work in the team of another Zapashny - Mstislav Mikhailovich, brother of Walter. She released a stunningly beautiful “Cord de Parelle” there - an air act almost under the dome, at a height of fifteen meters without insurance.

But one day I wake up after another rehearsal - a wild pain. I tore off my back: I can’t straighten up, I’m barely crawling. In the hospital on Pirogovka, a disappointing diagnosis was made: “That's it, I flew in! If you continue to work, it will paralyze you.” Sobbed excitedly, further life lost its meaning. The doctor-chiropractor pulled me out of this state - ours, the circus one. With his magic hands, he set the vertebrae, but insistently recommended to take a break for three months, postpone rehearsals - let the body rest.

But do not hang out idle! And then, on the advice of my mother, I took up training dogs. As they say in such cases, there would be no happiness, but misfortune helped: I discovered this profession for myself. Dogs are like children to me: Bobtails, Labradors, poodles, a few mongrels - all of our wonderful four-legged artists. They live in a circus, each has its own very comfortable aviary, and for long-distance tours - a comfortable car with a place for walking. I can talk about my pets for hours. Like Edgard about tigers...

Our relationship with the future star began on tour in Saratov. On the eve of Askold, a big fan of technical stuff, his parents bought a game console, and after the performance, all our circus youth fell into his room to watch. The way he played is a separate picture: Askold enthusiastically pressed the buttons, cursed, groaned, all the emotions were on his face. He fights, and Edgard and I are making fun of something. Circus people have a special sense of humor, their own words, jokes, practical jokes, which are not always clear to people from the outside. Here is an example. If a newcomer comes to the team, one of the old-timers in between times will definitely send him to the arena inspector (there is such a position). He will say:

Here's a bucket for you, bring fiflyaks.

And the man runs, looking for:

Can you tell me where to find fiflaki?

Look, maybe they took them to the stable?

And everyone laughs behind him, because the fiflak is just a trick: jumping back from feet to hands and back. Or, for example, they give out a newcomer a toothbrush: “We urgently need to brush the horses’ teeth before the morning performance!” And the poor fellow with this brush rushes to the stable, catches the unfortunate animals, climbs into their mouths. They are, of course, shocked. Innocent, kindly practical jokes.

And then, in the Saratov hotel, we also fooled around and laughed. I wouldn't even pay attention to the bore, if he were at least three times wonderful, and Edgard was very cheerful, sociable - charming, in a word. We began to meet, went to the cinema for night sessions or to rock clubs until the morning. Zapashny then had blond hair, and I had a haircut “under Cleopatra”, because I was fond of the history of Ancient Egypt, together we looked artistic, bright and trashy. Meanwhile, Lena Baranenko developed relations with Askold, everything was wonderful there too.

And somehow by itself it turned out that Edgard and I began to live together in hotels. And since circus tours are not a day or two or even a week, they began to equip life according to special rules. Both of us are "fucking aesthetes" - that's what they called each other. Breakfast-lunch - always at the served table: only the same appliances, tablecloth, napkins. This is the custom of both the Zapashnys and my parents. Everything is cultural, tasteful, and no pasta with ketchup and sausages piled in a heap! They carried a lot of junk with them: curtains, candlesticks, pillows ...

You go into the room, you see shabby walls, gray bedspreads and you take out your curtains, all sorts of things - you create comfort. The budget was common, every penny was distributed: so much for food, so much for other needs. There were no big incomes back then. I never asked my beloved for a fur coat or a car. And when money and success came, expensive gifts appeared, in general, Edgard is a generous person. I remember, having won the show "King of the Ring", Edgard bought me a car for a fee, which I dreamed of. It was such a surprise! Although the first gift was a gold bracelet, which he presented on March 8, I still keep it.

After the next tour, they went to my parents and announced that we were now a couple. They were happy for us: “Excellent!” And Walter Mikhailovich and Tatyana Vasilyevna accepted me into the family. Aunt Olya, Tatyana Vasilievna's sister, and their mother Lyudmila Semyonovna, Edgard and Askold's grandmother, were also warmly welcomed.

The circus is a unique world, and the Zapashnys occupy a special place in it. Working with predators is difficult and dangerous, the tamer must have an iron will, a tough character. I mumble, if he suddenly finds the courage to enter the cage, the tiger will devour him in a second - the predator has enormous strength! Helping Edgard, I sometimes fiddled with the cubs, accustomed them to my hands, and one day such a big cute kitten came up to the aviary and playfully, almost gently grabbed my leg. As if the ticket was validated in the tram: click! And in the leg from the fangs there are two holes to the bone. But this is just a tiger cub - what can we say about adult animals?!

Walter Mikhailovich was torn by tigers more than once. His first exit to the arena with predators ended sadly. By that time he was a famous acrobat, but dreamed of becoming an animal trainer. In the Russian State Circus, he was dissuaded for a long time: the Zapashny family number (he performed with his brothers) was a success, brought good profit, and suddenly Walter was about to leave for the tigers! But he stood his ground. Apparently, the officials deliberately slipped him a cannibal tigress: they say, let's try, upstart! This tigress named Bagheera had already torn people, she knew the taste of blood, which means that the killer instinct could wake up at any moment. What happened right at the premiere: Bagheera rushed to Walter Mikhailovich, he then spent a month or two in the hospital.

"The killer tiger must be euthanized!" - convinced his experienced trainers. But Walter Mikhailovich refused, returned to the arena and continued to work with Bagheera. She did not attack him anymore, on the contrary, they said, she became faithful like a dog.

Soon he created a grand act "Lions and Tigers": thirty-eight predators in the arena, there was no such thing in the Soviet circus. Another cool number - Walter Mikhailovich introduced the horse Halur into the cage. He ran in a circle, and the tigers jumped on his back - this is called a course. But in nature, a horse for predators is a tasty prey. Miracles of training!

It so happened that Walter Mikhailovich quarreled with his brother Mstislav (the reason is unknown to me). They did not speak for several years, and until the death of Walter Mikhailovich, they never truly reconciled. In the Zapashny family, this is a very sore subject. And when Lena Baranenko and I entered the family, Tatyana Vasilievna strictly warned us: “Never drive a wedge between brothers! We quarreled among ourselves and sort it out, don’t involve Garik and Askold!” Lena and I embraced and solemnly promised never to stand between brothers. We follow this family rule to this day.

On November 27, 2007, the daughter of the famous trainer Yuri Durov, Natalya, died. Like her father, Natalya devoted her whole life to her beloved work - training animals and performing with them in front of the audience. We decided to recall the most famous circus dynasties.

Durov dynasty.

This is a dynasty of clown trainers, founded by the brothers Anatoly Leonidovich and Vladimir Leonidovich Durov. As a child, Anatoly Durov was attracted by acrobatics, gymnastics and clowning, and Vladimir dreamed of becoming a trainer. The successes of the Durov brothers were discussed in 1890. It was at this time that Anatoly shows his art in Austria, Germany, Spain and France. When Gerard de Nerval's book The King of Jesters was published in Russia, Anatoly began to write on his poster the words: "The King of Jesters, but not the Jester of Kings." The Durovs were the first clowns to perform under their own names and talk to the public.

Vladimir wanted to build his own house for the animals and settle them there in the most suitable conditions for each, to observe, treat, teach and show their art. In 1911, Vladimir Durov's menagerie already had sea lions, monkeys and camels, an elephant, a pelican, pigs and dogs. His favorites were taken to the Durov arena. It could be a wild boar, a dog, a sea lion. His railway entered the circus history, where a monkey was driving a locomotive as a driver, geese were porters, a duck was a stationmaster. Durov worked with 55 species of animals, we can say that he "educated" 1500 animals. In 1927, in Moscow, Vladimir Durov bought a house with a garden and a stable and opened Durov's Corner there. Trained animals performed here, there was a large natural science museum, and a scientific laboratory in which observations were made of the behavior of animals, training techniques were developed, and lectures on the psychology of animals were read to visitors.

After the death of Durov, "Corner" was headed by his wife, Anna Ignatievna. The Durov dynasty presented the fatherland with four People's Artists of the USSR: Yuri Vladimirovich, Vladimir Grigorievich, Natalia Yuryevna and Lev Konstantinovich Durov; People's Artists of Russia Teresa Vasilievna Durova and Yuri Yuryevich Durov; Honored Artist of the RSFSR Anna Vladimirovna Durova-Sadovskaya, Honored Artist of Russia Teresa Gannibalovna Durova.

After Anna Ignatievna, Durov's Corner was headed by Anna Vladimirovna Durova-Sadovskaya. From 1978 to 2007, it was headed by the great-granddaughter of Vladimir Leonidovich - Natalia Yuryevna Durova. Since 2007, the great-grandson of Vladimir Leonidovich Durov, People's Artist of Russia Yury Yuryevich Durov, has been the artistic director of the theater.

Filatov dynasty.

The Filatovs have been working with animals for almost 200 years. Today it is one of the largest circus dynasties in Russia. The year of the founding of the dynasty is considered to be 1836, when the governor of Nizhny Novgorod signed Filata, a guide with a bear, and his wife, a servant with monkeys, a permit to work at the fairground. This was the beginning of the history of the Filatov dynasty. Valentin Ivanovich Filatov, whose name the Yekaterinburg Circus bears, was born in Yekaterinburg. In the 1950s, Valentin Filatov became world famous with the Bear Circus attraction, when clumsy artists showed tricks that no one had ever seen before. With this number they went on tour to America and Europe.

Valentin Filatov's traditions were continued by his two daughters - Lyudmila and Tatyana - and their husbands. In 1975, a new program "Circus of the Beasts", "Indian Elephant" and "Acrobatics with Chimpanzee" was created. In 1979, a new number, "The Trained Animal Illusion", was included in the program. In 1998, the number "Bears - acrobats" was created. In 2001 Yulia Filatova

and Andrey Klykov formed a new group "Circus of the Animals" named after the People's Artist of the USSR V.I. Filatov. In 2002, Yulia Filatova was awarded the title of Honored Artist of Russia.

The Bagdasarov dynasty.

This is a dynasty of tiger tamers. The ancestor of our circus dynasty is Nikolai Yazev. In 1937, while studying at the State School of Circus Art, he was accepted into the troupe of gymnasts on horizontal bars, where he worked until the start of the war. In 1945, he again came to work in a circus in a troupe of gymnasts on a comic horizontal bar. In this issue, for the first time in the Soviet circus, Nikolai Andreevich performed the trick “flying over the horizontal bar”. The father of Arthur and Karina Bagdasarov - Mikhail Ashotovich - spent all his childhood in the circus. At the age of 18, he began working as a trainer, along with People's Artist of the RSFSR Margarita Nazarova. In 1979, Mikhail demonstrated his own attraction based on the Armenian epic "David of Sasun" featuring lions, tigers, panthers, jaguars, leopards and cougars. In 1991, a new attraction "Tigers-Show" was released with 18 Ussuri tigers. In this attraction, Bagdasarov began to work with his daughter Karina. Two years later, the son of Mikhail Bagdasarov, Artur, also took up training. In 2003, Karina and Artur Bagdasarov were awarded the title of Honored Artists of Russia. The Bagdasarov tigers starred in the film Striped Flight. The Bagdasarov dynasty puts on great shows all over Russia. Their representations include Ussuri and Bengal tigers.

Zapashny dynasty.

Zapashnye is a dynasty of tamers, vaulters, acrobats, gymnasts. The clown and musical eccentric Karl Thomson, who came from the Baltic Germans and toured Russia at the end of the 19th century under the pseudonym Milton, became the ancestor. Milton's daughter Lydia from the age of 15 performed at the arena as a circus rider and gymnast. Today's surname was brought to the history of the circus by Lydia's husband, Mikhail Zapashny.

Mikhail worked as a port loader. Somehow the wrestler Ivan Poddubny noticed him and invited Mikhail to try himself in the circus, in the then most popular genre of French wrestling. Entering the Milton family, Mikhail Zapashny began to master a new genre of power acrobatics. He created a series of unique theatrical power numbers; in one of them - "Acrobats-snipers". In the Saratov circus, during the war, the circus career of Walter, Mstislav and Igor Zapashny began. The brothers tried themselves in a variety of genres: clowning, aerial gymnastics, horse riding, motorcycle racing, training horses and exotic animals, taming predators. In 1954, the Zapashny brothers in full force released the issue "Acrobats - Voltigeurs". Walter Zapashny mainly worked with tigers, he created the attraction "Among the Predators", and also wrote several textbooks on training. Having retired, he handed over the work of his life to his sons - Edgard and Askold Zapashny.

In 1999 they were awarded the title of Honored Artists of Russia. In 2001, they became laureates of the national award "Circus". In August 2007, Walter Mikhailovich Zapashny died. A golden star dedicated to People's Artist of Russia Walter Zapashny has been unveiled on the Alley of Memory of Great Circus Artists.

Kornilov dynasty.

Kornilov perform with elephants. The ancestor of the dynasty is Alexander Kornilov, a sailor who turned into a trainer for the sake of his beloved woman. During the dismissal from the ship, the sailor Alexander Ivanovich Kornilov, walking around the city, wandered into the fair, where the traveling circus of Ivan Lazarevich Filatov gave performances. And then Alexander fell in love with the daughter of the owner of the circus - Maria Ivanovna. And he changed the sea element to the circus one. In the Filatov circus, Alexander Kornilov acquired the skills of animal training, and then he began to perform in the arena himself. The traditions of the trainers of the Kornilovs were continued by the son of Alexander Ivanovich and Maria Ivanovna - Anatoly Alexandrovich Kornilov. His programs glorified the Soviet circus far beyond the borders of his homeland. Now the Kornilov dynasty is continued by the grandson Andrey. He did not plan to connect his fate with the circus, but after the death of his father, he, a 19-year-old guy, a graduate of GITIS, had no choice but to take over the work of his ancestors. “When I was 19 years old, my father tragically died in a car accident. Only women remained in the attraction - mother Taisiya Kornilova, grandmother Nina Kornilova, a newborn sister and ... five elephants. I am the only man, and it was my duty to stay,” recalls the successor to the Kornilov dynasty. Now Andrei continues the work of his father, combines training with administrative activities. “Our art, like the theater, does not tolerate falsehood. You can’t fool the viewer - everything is real here, ”says Andrey.

The Zapashny family has always been famous for a large number of misunderstandings and conflicts. Dni.Ru decided to find out why the closest people, not only by blood, but also by the cause of their whole life, people cannot always live in harmony.

The dynasty of circus performers dates back to 1900. Then Mikhail Zapashny was born, and five years later - his future wife Lida, who, by the way, was also the daughter of a circus artist known in those days - the clown Karl Thompson.

Mikhail, on the other hand, had nothing to do with the circus and got into the arena quite by accident, immediately after the end of the civil war. The future great artist worked as a port loader, he was invited to try his hand at the circus by the famous wrestler Ivan Poddubny. Judging by the written memoirs of contemporaries, Poddubny immediately noticed the unprecedented power and strength of Zapashny.

By the age of 30, Mikhail had several high-profile numbers, with some of them he later performed with his sons - Walter, Mstislav, Sergey and Igor. Almost throughout the Second World War, Zapashny's three younger sons and daughter Anna were in besieged Leningrad under the supervision of their grandmother. The artist's wife did not have time to return from the tour before the city was surrounded.

In 1954, the Zapashny brothers in full force released the issue "Acrobats-Voltigeurs". To this day, he is recognized as the brightest and most talented circus performance in the world.

The first public scandal associated with the Zapashny family thundered during Mstislav's divorce from Dolores. The couple have been together for over 25 years. Later, Dolores gave several interviews in which she admitted that she did not regret the years she lived with the great artist, but everything was not so rosy in their family life. And it all started very touchingly: Zapashny, as best he could, supported Dolores after the death of her husband and offered to participate in his number. Of course, soon friendships turned into romantic ones. Zapashny left his first wife, Inna Abakarova, for Dolores.

After the separation of Dolores and Mstislav, evil tongues said that he left the family for the sake of his next wife, Irina. But as it turned out, initially the cause of the gap was not so much another woman as banal jealousy. As Dolores said, Mstislav Sr. was always jealous of her, almost from the first day they met. But then they both were not free.

Nevertheless, after the divorce, Mstislav and Dolores maintained friendly relations. After all, behind them they had not only many years of joint work, but also family life with two common children - Mstislav Jr. and Helen.

In 2008-2009, the complex relationships of the younger generation of the dynasty were also revealed. The sons of Walter and Mstislav still do not get along with each other. Edgard with Askold and Mstislav, of course, are forced to meet from time to time. But increasingly, each of them admits that he considers the opposite side too arrogant. In an interview seven years ago, Edgard Zapashny spoke ambiguously about Mstislav Jr.

"He is his father's son. We've met several times and I know how dismissive he is about us."

Currently, Edgard and Askold are performing at the Zapashny Brothers Circus, which they founded. Mstislav is engaged in his own career, without interfering with his cousins. The idea of the famous number, in which tigers waltz on balls, belongs to his father, Mstislav Sr.

Mstislav Jr. has a difficult personal history as well. According to official information, Mstislav Mstislavovich has eight children. From an early age, he teaches three of them to the arena. So, in 2007, Mstislav performed with his ten-month-old son, and the eldest son at that time was already starting his acrobat career. By the way, another high-profile scandal is connected with the eldest son: after the divorce, the boy stayed with his mother, but after some time he fled, resolutely declaring that he would live only with his father.

Of course, it is very, very unfortunate that members of such a talented and famous family do not always get along with each other, or even do not want to communicate with each other at all. However, there were times when things were different. According to sources close to the Zapashnys, the founder of the dynasty, Mikhail Sergeevich, used to love to gather the whole family. After his death, this mission passed to Mstislav Mikhailovich, but, unfortunately, the artist was not able to properly rally everyone. And even more so - to reconcile.

The last years of his life Mstislav Mikhailovich spent at the resort with his wife Irina. The death of the maestro is a great loss for all the luminaries of circus art. The ingenious numbers “Elephants and Tigers”, “Flight to the Stars”, as well as the pantomime “Spartak”, invented by Mstislav, will remain for a long time not only in the memory of the audience, but also in circus programs around the world.