Yuri Kuklachev is a well-known Russian clown, cat trainer, creator of the unique Cat Theater, the only one in the world, developer of the School of Kindness social and pedagogical program for primary school children, founder of his own fund to help children.
Biography
The future famous trainer was born in April 1949, in a family of ordinary Soviet engineers. The post-war childhood was difficult, and the boys played the war, imagining how to defeat the fascist invaders. Therefore, from childhood, Yuri dreamed of becoming a military pilot.
But this dream was not destined to come true - the boy's vestibular apparatus turned out to be weak. But he also had another hobby. The solemn appearance in the family of an incredibly rare device - a tiny black-and-white TV set - was a real event. Yura enjoyed watching Chaplin's films and copied his movements, amusing his parents.
Participation in amateur performances led Yuri Kuklachev to the idea that he wants to become a circus artist. After school, he applied to the circus school, but could not even pass the entrance tests. The young talent faced seven years of annual attempts that ended in failure. During this time, the future clown studied as a printer and earned the highest award at the all-Union amateur competition, after which he was finally invited to become a student of the circus school, in 1967.
Career and creativity
In 1971, Yuri Kuklachev became an artist of the State Circus, where he worked until 1990. At first, the funny clown was called "Cornflower", and rather quickly the famous artist found his own niche for creativity, although he came to training cats quite by accident, having picked up a street kitten. I designed the numbers myself, taught the animals. Cats are considered immune to training - and so far no one has succeeded in repeating Kuklachev's successes.
Soon, the performances of this clown became world famous. Yuri toured abroad, received prestigious international and Soviet awards - both for his artistry and for his humane attitude towards animals. In 1984 he completed his second education at the theater institute, starred in several films.
In 1990, the Kuklachev family opened their own "Cat House" - a world-famous theater where trained cats perform. Later the theater received state status and changed its name to “Kuklachev's Cat Theater”.
In 2005, the Kuklachev family created a charitable foundation, the purpose of which is to support the education and moral upbringing of children, especially from orphanages, boarding schools and disadvantaged families. At the same time, the well-known project "School of Kindness" appeared. These are books, manuals, video lessons intended for teachers and pupils, united by a common principle: "To educate by developing."
Personal life and the modern period
Yuri met his future wife when he was a student at a circus school. The graceful dancer Lena Gurina became his love for life and a faithful assistant in circus performances. The star couple have two sons and one daughter - and all of them, together with their halves, work in the legendary "Theater of Cats". To date, Yuri Kuklachev has almost retired from the "Theater", but is still actively involved in social and charitable activities.
