Alexander Ivanovich Artamonov was a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, a veteran of the variety stage, and an Honoured Artist of the RSFSR. He did not come from a circus family. As a child he visited a circus tent in the Park of Culture and Leisure and was captivated by a juggler. Determined to learn, he began practicing with potatoes at home, kneeling because of the low ceiling, and spent countless hours teaching himself to juggle. He first performed for his family, then at school events. After graduating he worked as a milling machine operator at the Radiopribor plant while continuing amateur performances.
Artamonov later met Viktor Aleksandrovich Zhanto, an Honoured Artist of the RSFSR and director of a circus school, who encouraged him to enrol. By 1937, he was already performing professionally and formed a juggling duo with his classmate Firs Zemtsev. The war separated them. Artamonov began service in 1941 on the Western Front, received the Medal “For Courage” during the battle for Moscow, and later the Order of the Patriotic War (2nd Class), the Order of the Red Star, and other medals. In 1942, he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and finished the war in Berlin as a mortar platoon commander, never having been wounded. At the front he entertained fellow soldiers by carving wooden clubs and juggling between battles.
After the war he returned to Moscow and created a long-running act with Margarita Vasilyevna Olkhovskaya, performing together until her retirement in 1973. Their act featured glowing clubs that changed continuously through four colours. They toured forty countries, including China, New Zealand, Cuba, France, Sweden, Holland, and several African nations. In 1975, Artamonov began performing with Galina Protasevich, a former gymnast from the “Circus on Stage” company whose dedication and natural talent made her his student and partner on tours across the Soviet Union, India, Hungary, and the German Democratic Republic.
Translated and summarised from: www.ruscircus.ru/forum/index.php?showtopic=28563
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJ60caemv_Q
Video source: • Жонглеры Артамоновы (1961)
I do not own the copyright for this video. All content is uploaded for educational and preservation purposes only and is not monetised. I'm a video curator not creator. If you are a copyright owner and have concerns about any material, please contact me, and I will take appropriate action.
Artamonov later met Viktor Aleksandrovich Zhanto, an Honoured Artist of the RSFSR and director of a circus school, who encouraged him to enrol. By 1937, he was already performing professionally and formed a juggling duo with his classmate Firs Zemtsev. The war separated them. Artamonov began service in 1941 on the Western Front, received the Medal “For Courage” during the battle for Moscow, and later the Order of the Patriotic War (2nd Class), the Order of the Red Star, and other medals. In 1942, he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and finished the war in Berlin as a mortar platoon commander, never having been wounded. At the front he entertained fellow soldiers by carving wooden clubs and juggling between battles.
After the war he returned to Moscow and created a long-running act with Margarita Vasilyevna Olkhovskaya, performing together until her retirement in 1973. Their act featured glowing clubs that changed continuously through four colours. They toured forty countries, including China, New Zealand, Cuba, France, Sweden, Holland, and several African nations. In 1975, Artamonov began performing with Galina Protasevich, a former gymnast from the “Circus on Stage” company whose dedication and natural talent made her his student and partner on tours across the Soviet Union, India, Hungary, and the German Democratic Republic.
Translated and summarised from: www.ruscircus.ru/forum/index.php?showtopic=28563
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJ60caemv_Q
Video source: • Жонглеры Артамоновы (1961)
I do not own the copyright for this video. All content is uploaded for educational and preservation purposes only and is not monetised. I'm a video curator not creator. If you are a copyright owner and have concerns about any material, please contact me, and I will take appropriate action.
