Background
Polunin was born in the town of Novosil, Oryol Oblast, Russia, into the family of a shop assistant.
Polunin was born in the town of Novosil, Oryol Oblast, Russia, into the family of a shop assistant.
After a few years" study at an engineering school, he graduated from the Leningrad Institute for Soviet Culture, where he later taught.
He is the creator of the stage spectacles Asisyai-revue, Slava"s Snowshow and Diabolo. Early years
He was successful in his school theatre, imitating Charlie Chaplin, but was refused entry to the Leningrad Theater Institute due to poor pronunciation. In 1968, Polunin started the semi-professional pantomime theater, Litsedeyi (Russian for "mummers" or literally "people who make faces").
In 1981, his first very successful television performance took place on the New Year"s Eve program Goluboy Ogonyok (Голубой огонёк).
lieutenant was a part of his now famous Asisyai-revue. In 1982, in Leningrad he organized a mime parade in which more than 800 mime artists from the Soviet Union took part.
lieutenant was an unheard of event featuring semi-underground artists at a time of strict Communist control of all artistic events. In 1985, during the Moscow World Festival of Youth and Students he organized a master class of pantomime attended by many Western mimes.
By 1988, Polunin"s theater Licedei had created five highly successful shows: Dreamers (Фантазёры), Eccentrics on the attic (Чурдаки), From the life of insects, Asisyai-revue and Catastrophe.
The members decided to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the theater with its funeral. The events included funeral speeches over multiple coffins labeled with the names of the participants, followed by a funeral procession with the coffins through the streets of Leningrad. Then the coffins were set aflame and floated down the Neva river.
Despite the theatrical style of the performance, it was indeed the end of the theater.
The participants believed Konstantin Stanislavski, who stated that any theater dies after it has existed for 20 years. In 1989, Polunin organized The Caravan of Peace, in which mimes from different parts of the world were on the road for half a year giving street performances in many European cities.
Later, he started the Academy of Fools, the center devoted to the "resurrection of the carnival culture in Russia". The project was started with Polunin"s own money, but when the money was spent, the project was frozen.
In 1994, Polunin declared that he would make a few commercially successful shows in the West and then return to continue the work of the Academy with the money earned.
Among the shows he organized were the highly successful Slava"s Snowshow (Снежное шоу) and Diabolo devoted to "comical meditation on life, death, and the beauty of the universe". Polunin will be voicing a character in the upcoming Russian animated feature film Gofmaniada.