Valentin Gneushev

[1] He studied to be a clown at the Moscow State Circus School and later graduated from the Russian Academy of Theatrical Arts as an artistic director.

In 1986, Gneushev’s "The Red Harlequin", performed by Vladimir Tsarkov,[2] was awarded the Gold Medal at the International Circus Festival in Paris.

In 1989, he created an aerial act for Vladimir Kekhaial, who went on to work in Cirque du Soleil's Nouvelle Expérience show and later became a star in Las Vegas.

The circus show, which used no animals and was designed for a theatrical stage, consisted entirely of acts created by Gneushev.

[3] He appeared in the 1977 Soviet children's fairy tale film The Scarlet Flower (Alenkiy Tsvetochek).