IN 1919 Lenin expressed a wish for the circus to become the people's art form and it was given facilities and status with theatre, opera and ballet.

The USSR nationalised circuses. In 1927 the State University of Circus and Variety Arts, better known as the Moscow Circus School, was established using methods developed from the Soviet gymnastics programme.

When the Moscow State Circus began international tours in the 1950s, its levels of originality and artistic skill were widely applauded, and the high standard of the Russian State Circus continues.