About Misha (Mikhail) Usov
As an artistic creator and performer for Cirque du Soleil, I traveled throughout Europe performing for audiences of thousands.
I teach my secrets of improvisation and comedic performance to students around the world in online live classes and in in-person workshops.
Email me at clownusov@gmail.com if you have questions about my courses and personal coaching.
I've been performing professionally since I was 16 and graduated from the prestigious Moscow clown school in Izmaylovo when I was 23.
Soon after graduation, I co-founded MIKOS, which earned the Silver Prize at the 1st International Clown Festival in Moscow. I was artistic creator for MIKOS and performed across Russia and Europe for fourteen years.
In 2009, I joined Cirque du Soleil to work with writer and director Robert Lepage of Canada. I created a new character called “Fisherman” that I performed for Cirque du Soleil’s Totem from its premier in 2010 until 2020. The character remains in the Cirque du Soleil repertoire, performed by other artists.
I've performed for Wintergarten Variete in Berlin; Tiger Palast in Frankfurt-on Main; GOP-Group, Prinzregentheater in München; Friedrichbau Stuttgart, and Cirque du Soleil.
I've written and produced two shows PanopticumStadt der Träume (A City of Dreams). Both productions were commercial successes in Germany with 18-month runs of sold-out shows.
I appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and with Patrick Sebastian and Le Plus Grand Cabaret De Monde for TV5 in France. On German TV, I appeared on Star in der Manege, on TV ARD and ZDF, and on ARTE during the Traumtänzer Festival.
I've been featured on BBC London, National TV China, and on the Circo Massimo—broadcast across Italy and Europe. On three occasions, I've had the honor to perform at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
I've collaborated with Robert Lepage (Canada), David Scheiner (USA), Tereza Durova (Russia), and Anatoliy Zalevsky (Ukraine).
I live with my family in California and teach my methods and philosophy of The Invisible Clown in my online and in-person workshops (The Invisible Clown Institute - IC Institute). I spend nine months of the year traveling throughout Europe performing for small (500+) to large (10,000+) audiences. My next tour takes me to Scandinavia!
