Fast Confession - world famous fool Slava Polunin: I still have the spirit of a ten year old
Slava Polunin is a Russian clown, performer and fool. A fool in the true sense of the word. He founded his own Academy of Fools, in which he is the director. It's even on his business cards. In addition to traveling around the world with his megalomaniacal shows, he implements and shares most of his ideas with other fools in his home, just outside Paris. His huge estate is a paradise for everyone who likes to play. And who, in the inconvenience of everyday life, would like to forget that they are adults. In an interview for LP-Life.cz, the artist speaks about how much he loves the Czech Republic, who inspired him in folly and life happiness, and about his upcoming visit to Prague…
Why did you decide to become a fool?
When I was a kid, I watched Charlie Chaplin on TV. And I decided that I wanted to be like him. Happy. That I wanted to laugh, do crazy stuff, and I wanted others to laugh with me. So I decided to simply be happy and make others happy, too.
What did the people around you think about it?
When I was performing, people liked it, but when I behaved like a fool at home, of course they had issues with it. (laughs) But everyone got used to it.
Didn't they want to send you to a doctor or lock you in a madhouse?
No, but it caused me problems at school, they wanted to expel me several times.
But you were young at that time, and a lot of young people rebel in some way. Did you already know that you would make a living from entertaining people even in your adulthood?
I was motivated by my surroundings, who liked my folly. So I was doing my best to make it happen.
How do you come up with your scenes and performances?
Like a small child, I like to play and that's where it's coming from. It is a game for me and my tools are my toys. I don't take anything seriously in life.
You're almost seventy years old. Do you think that you've ever grown up in your life?
I still have the spirit of a ten year old.
But can you act as an ordinary person, deal with the authorities and handle official matters?
I don't really care about these things, I rather enjoy life, that's where I find meaning. That's why I see life as a game, even if I have to go to the bank, it is still a form of game for me.
Why did you move from Russia to France and build a fantasy world there?
You can't put it that way. I didn't technically move from one country to another, the whole world is my home. I have projects in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Paris and London. I am constantly traveling between them. I perceive the whole world and the universe as my home.
Can you describe what you bring to people?
I've once read a book by Jevreinov, who writes that life is a theater and a theater performance. This thesis intrigued me and I build from it. I was looking for facilities all over Europe and America, trying to find the best place to create my laboratory. After a long search I discovered that the most suitable place was France.
Why?
The food culture! The French have an excellent food culture. They have reached a higher level of life, reflecting their sense of enjoyment of the moment, liveliness. France, the whole country, has an overall close relationship to culture. However, business and various projects are best done from London. And the craziest projects can only be done in Russia. What is not possible elsewhere is allowed in Russia. (laughs)
And aren't the Russians angry that you left such a huge project to the French?
No, I had and still have many other projects that are working well in Russia. For example, I was in charge of the St. Petersburg Circus for three years. I also co-organize the World Forum in St. Petersburg focused on circus and outdoor theater.
Aren't you tired?
I am not, my work fulfills me and I am not going to leave it to anyone else. I am still hungry for new things and experiences.
Do you have children to turn your job over to?
I have two children and they both work in my theater. So do my grandchildren and my friends. Trust me, if the two of us spent another half day together, you wouldn't want to leave and you'd join too. I believe that everyone would like to live in a world where their job is to play, create something and show it to others.
Do you plan to retire at some point?
I had a vacation ten years ago, that was enough for me. I don't want to lose a single day, I want to get it all done.
What do you mean by "all"?
Make every day a holiday, not just for me, but for everyone.
The way you describe it, I feel like you start your day by singing, dancing or going to the garden to create something there. Am I right?
I never dance or sing in the morning, I just sit down in a corner and contemplate, letting my mind wander. With my ideas and aura, I can then lure people around me into dancing. I love my profession and study hard to get all the details right.
You are coming to Prague, but it won't be your first visit. When was the last time you were here and what was your impression of Prague?
I've found seven countries in the world that have a distinctive culture, and the Czech Republic is one of those countries. I try to understand every country, for example, I spent five years in the UK learning to understand it, but I didn't succeed.
The Czechs are characterized by a pleasant and interesting humor. No other country in the world has such characters as Švejk or Hurvínek. That is why I came to this country to meet Czech clowns, Kratochvíl, Polívka, Hybner and others. They are the greatest clown avant-garde.
Who, in your opinion, is the greatest Czech fool?
Bolek Polívka, he's the greatest fool.
Do you know each other personally?
Yes, I invited him to Russia several times and he came to visit me.
What show will you bring to Prague?
I will bring the SnowShow to Prague, with which I have already traveled 52 countries. People in Prague will be able to see it for the first time. However, in ninety-three I presented it in Brno, at the Husa na provázku Theater.
And what was the response from the crowd?
Fantastic, Czech audience grew up on puppet theaters, works by Karel Zeman and the like. They are used to it and understand the performance. It was unbelievable.
I believe that when I come to Prague next March, it will be similar. I am already looking forward to it, I hope to meet old and new Czech fools and have a great time.
You've had shows all over the world. Is there a place where you no longer want to perform?
I'd like to play everywhere, but in some countries people can't understand the message of my performances yet. In Europe, for example, it is Belgium. It was very difficult to get through to the spectators there and connect with them.
How is it possible?
They have a different culture. Each country has a different kind of humor.
The Czech Republic has been under the communist regime for many years. Do you think it could be one reason why the Czechs are a good audience? Because we couldn't really laugh for years, and now we can?
No political regime can make people stop laughing and take away their humor. I learned a lot from Polívka, Hybner and others. That also helped me understand the Czech way of thinking. And Jean-Baptiste Deburau, who was born in Cologne and later lived in France, he is the greatest mime. Jaroslav Švehla wrote about him and I translated it into Russian.
Can your performances be dangerous sometimes?
In 1971 I went to Paris. At that time, going abroad from the Soviet Union was like flying into space. I stood there open-mouthed and couldn't believe a city like Paris even existed, I kept walking around Paris for days upon days, drawing inspiration, I couldn't even sleep.
And then, when I walked onto the stage, my vision got hazy, I lost the ground under my feet and began to levitate. When I came back to consciousness, my friends had to hold me by the window so I could breathe in the fresh air. Nothing happened to me. Once I snapped back, I took a deep breath and finished the show.
Twenty years later I flew to Colombia; we were at a high altitude. During one of the shows, I found out that I was not getting enough oxygen, and I realized that I wouldn't last until the end of the show. And I started dancing and flying around the theater, with three thousand people present. The next day I had to ask for an oxygen bomb so that I could drop in and out of backstage during the show and take a breath.
Is your audience composed rather of children, or adults?
Children like my shows, but I forbid myself to play for them, because children are already happy. Adults, on the other hand, forgot how to be happy, they lost their way. Therefore, they need help. I am the children's ambassador who spreads happiness to adults. I also give TED talks on how to be happy, you can look them up on the Internet.
There are 72 rules of happiness. I'll tell you two of them. You need to be doing what you feel inside you're supposed to be doing, and you need to be doing it only with people you'd like to hug.
In the last 30 years, you've only accepted 62 new members to your Academy. Why so little?
Because we only accept people with enough books written about them at the Academy. (laughs)
