Vladimir Olshansky (born 9 August 1947 in St. Petersburg, Russia) is a performing artist, director, composer, sculptor,[1] graduate of the Moscow State Circus School (Russian: Государственное училище циркового и эстрадного искусства им.

In 1996, Vladimir, with brother Yury and Caterina Turi Bicocchi founds Soccorso Clown, Italian non-for-profit, performing arts organization at the service of the Community, and becomes its artistic director.

In 2006 Vladimir begins to work on "Strange Games" show, which will accompany him in years to come always with the new developments and innovative structural changes[2][3] which he brings to the various International Festivals in Edinburgh,[4][5] Avignon[6] etc.

His views about clowns were formed by the masters of silent film: Charlie Chaplin, Max Linder and Buster Keaton - along with such legendary Russian directors as Meyerhold and Vakhtangov.

During his study of the circus arts he meets the outstanding Russian clown Leonid Engibarov who makes a great impression on him inspiring his dream to create, one day, his own clown-theatre.

During the period, from the early 1970s to the 1980s, Olshansky collaborates with the Russian directors: Lev Stukalov (now artistic director of St. Petersburg's "Our Theatre" (Наш Театр), Vlad Druzinin and Yuri Gerzman, Victor Charitonov, the artist and papet maker Natalia Lazareva, set designers: Simon Pastuch, Emil Kapelush, caricaturist Victor Bogorad, and creates his sketch "The Swan" becoming a winner at the International Moscow Entertainment Competition.

This kind of assistance promotes the health benefits of laughter and humor to hospitalized children and provides a powerful partner to traditional medical therapy.

[26] and in 2017 "Manuale di clownterapia", Rome, Italy Edizione Dino Audino[27] Ann-Kathrin Soder Arena Spots Erlangen, Germany 2/06/07