David Larible, the person officially bearing the title of “The Clown of Clowns”, was born in the first month of summer. A seventh-generation circus artist and winner of many awards, including the highest accolade in circus arts, the Golden Clown, he has long won over audiences around the world. Fans of his work in Russia have dubbed him “The Clown of our hearts” and set up an official fan club on social media.
David was born in the romantic city of Verona, Italy, on 23 June 1957. Pierre Larible, grandfather of the artist, was a clown, acrobat and dancer. His father, Eugenio Larible, was an aerialist and juggler. His mother, Lucina Larible, was also a circus performer and worked alongside her son at the famous American Ringling Brothers Circus, where he performed as a clown.
Larible decided to become a clown at the age of eight. As a child, he attended performances by the Soviet circus when it toured Italy. The boy idolised Yuri Nikulin, Oleg Popov, Karandash and Leonid Engibarov. Looking at the work of Russian clowns, David tried to uncover the secrets of their skill. But he dreamed of performing in Russia himself one day!
David learnt acrobatics and juggling from his father. He entered the Verona Music School in 1968. In 1970, he made his debut as a Circus Scott artist in Sweden.
He has two children who have followed in his footsteps: a daughter, Shirley Larible, who is an aerialist, and a son, David Larible, Jr., who is a juggler.
David Larible is a master of multiple circus disciplines. He is a skilled musician and a magnificent vocalist, as well as being fluent in six languages. He is also credited with inventing the “audience interaction” technique in clowning. The artist never uses a “stooge”; the reprises come to life. The arena has hosted around 40,000 people over the years, thanks to the clown.
The artist draws inspiration from opera and ballet. He calls opera his passion, and performs his ballet reprises so gracefully and skilfully that even professional classical dancers rate it highly.
In 1988, David took part in the main circus festival in Monte Carlo, winning the Silver Clown. Eleven years later, he returned to Monaco, receiving a gold award. In 1994, he was awarded the Platinum Ring at the Genoa International Circus Festival. In 1999, Larible became the first non-Chinese artist to win the Golden Lion at the WuQiao International Circus Festival in Shijiazhuang, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to circus arts. In 2007, he received the Grock Award.
In 2014, David worked at the Circus Knie in Switzerland, while also receiving an honorary doctorate from the Mesoamerican University of Puebla in Mexico for his “triumphant international career”.
The artist’s “collection” also includes Russian awards, such as the “Clown of the Year” (the “Master” Award), which was presented to David by his idol, the People’s Artist of the USSR Oleg Popov, in 2015. At a press conference, the artist confessed: “When Oleg Popov performed, I must admit, I cried like a child. It was incredible. That experience would leave an indelible mark on my memory forever.
I was acquainted with Oleg Popov for a considerable amount of time. I have observed his performances on numerous occasions, however, never in this manner!”
In 2018, the Grand Prix was added to the awards at the international festival “The Best Clowns in the World”, which was held at the Great Saint Petersburg Circus.
David has enjoyed a warm friendship with our country for a long time. In one of the interviews, the artist shares his impressions: “Russians are amazing people — kind and very open. I have lots of friends here now and Russia is literally becoming my second home.” His Russian colleagues reciprocate, as does the audience. The Italian clown first visited Russia in 2001 at the invitation of Leonid Kostyuk to celebrate his birthday. Leonid Leonidovich is convinced that Larible is the most famous clown around today!
Back in 2012, Leonid Kostyuk directed a spectacular circus show called “Larible” for David at the Great Moscow Circus. Firstly, the programme focused on the art of clowning, which was skilfully demonstrated by the performance’s main character. The Moscow audience gave a warm welcome to the circus performance.
The “Clown of Clowns” has performed at the Great Moscow Circus arena on several occasions. Over the years, he was a member of the professional jury at the Idol World Circus Art Festival, and was also a special guest. David did not participate in the competition programme because Edgard Zapashny, the founder of the festival, felt it would be pointless for the participants to compete with the Italian clown, as they would not be able to compete with him on an equal footing. In 2013, the Zapashny brothers created a grandiose show called “Like RUSSIAN” — especially for a world celebrity.
Askold Zapashny came up with the idea of creating a play about a foreigner in Russia and the stereotypes that still exist today. “Like RUSSIAN” can safely be called a patriotic production. After all, not only does it debunk myths about our country, it also introduces viewers to its traditions and customs in a humorous way. David conducted many experiments as part of this project. He learnt how to work with Russian clowns. Nikolai Kormiltsev played the second main role. He transformed his usual image of an immediate, charming clown into a modern character. Larible enjoys trying new things. He believes that an artist should always “prove themselves” to demonstrate their capabilities to themselves and others.
The winter and autumn of 2018 were significant for David, who performed at the legendary Ciniselli and Nikulin circuses. The “Monte Carlo – Moscow” performance on Tsvetnoy and “The Adventures of an Italian in Russia” on Fontanka appealed to audiences of all ages. This is not surprising, as the best in the business took part in both programmes, and David showcased some of his finest performances: “Bells”, “Opera” and “Plates”. The audience was completely delighted when Larible sang a verse of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” in different languages, and even in sign language, in one of the reprises.
During the 2018-2019 New Year season, the Italian clown performed in the Great Saint Petersburg Circus’s production of Cinderella, playing the role of the king. The artist admitted that playing the king is difficult because you have to stay in character as royalty while also being funny and maintaining the necessary balance.
Another challenging aspect was the articulation of the Russian-language soundtrack during the action. I must admit that David did an excellent job with this. His character spoke every word so clearly that the soundtrack was barely noticeable.
In 2019, David was a special guest at the “Master” international circus awards ceremony. He performed the solo theatre show Il Clown dei Clown (The Clown of Clowns) in Sochi. This format is unusual for a Russian audience. For us, it is natural that the clown works in the arena as part of the performance, alongside the trainers, jugglers, acrobats and aerialists. This solo performance is ideal for anyone who wants to experience the world of Larible, learn his philosophy and witness the full spectrum of his talent and soul.
In the summer of 2019, “The Clown of Clowns” once again captivated the Russian audience with his show at the Akimov Comedy Theatre in Saint Petersburg, receiving recognition not only from the audience, but also from Russian celebrities. The People’s Artist of the RSFSR Yevgeny Petrosyan is a big fan of David Larible. After attending the performance of Il Clown dei clown, he said: “Larible is a brilliant, top-class clown and his work is based on great comedy, numerous clowning skills and excellent vocals. Such talent is extremely rare.”
In autumn of that year, the artist presented Il Clown dei clown at the Gubernsky Theatre in Moscow as part of the second Sergey Bezrukov International Children’s Festival. The world-famous clown said that he had known Sergey for a long time and had attended one of his performances. When the actor invited him to the festival, he agreed immediately.
David Larible has also been noticed
by Russian television. In addition to the reports and broadcasts during the tour, several reprises can often be seen on the TVC channel in the programme “Laughter with Home Delivery”. Judging by the deafening laughter and applause, the audience really likes David’s work – his humour is relatable and accessible to all.
Great music is one of the key elements of the Italian artist’s work. David Larible also spends a lot of time on music; for example, he recorded a CD called “Clown canto”. The soft, beautiful voice of the singing clown has a beneficial effect on listeners, and the whole album is filled with harmony and a special kind of calm joy that is often lacking in modern life. This CD is perfect for relaxing and unwinding, getting your thoughts in order or starting your day with some melodic tracks.
During the online meeting in 2020, David talked about his plans to record a new album, revealing that one of the songs would be in Russian.
What is the secret behind the genuine affection between the Italian clown and the Russian audience? During one of the conversations, David said that there is always a “seduction game” between the clown and his audience. He said that establishing a connection with the viewer is like finding the key to a beautiful woman’s heart. Could the secret to many years of mutual love lie here? Has the artist found the key to the Russian people’s hearts? Everyone will have their own answer to this question, but I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate an exceptional artist on his birthday and thank him for the joy he brings to audiences around the globe!
23 June 2022
Text: Nata Tsirkanutaya
Photo: Magazine «Cirk»
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