The Moscow State Circus comes to town!

The enviable reputation of Russian circus (and that of other countries of the former Soviet bloc) is based on 200 years of tradition, but in particular 70 years of massive state support under the communist regime. Modern circus was started in London in 1768 by Philip Astley and rapidly became the chief form of performance entertainment throughout much of the world during the 19th century.

From The Moscow State Circus official web site