Gregory Popovich, the child of Russian circus performers Alex and Tamara Popovich, began learning the art of juggling at the age of six. Eight years later he prepared his first solo act – juggling on a freestanding ladder. After the debut of this feat, Gregory became a member of the Great Moscow Circus Group at the age of seventeen.

For the next few years, Gregory traveled the world with the Moscow Circus. He eventually became the star of the circus and was asked to be their representative at international circus competitions in Paris, Brussels, Mexico and Monte Carlo. During this time Gregory completed a special five-year course, earning the degree of circus creator and producer. He continued to work as a circus performer and appeared in Soviet films in three starring roles.

In 1991, Gregory was invited to join the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, performing his juggling act in the center-ring, the first Russian artist to appear in the Greatest Show on Earth. Subsequently, he was invited to Las Vegas as a featured performer at the Circus Circus Hotel and Casino.

While in Las Vegas, Gregory and his wife Isolda decided to use their kitten as part of Gregory’s clowning show. The audience response was so great, that Gregory began to think about building an entire act based on performing cats. A friend encouraged him to visit a local animal shelter and consider using these animals as a part of this new concept. Since there are no animal shelters in Russia, Gregory was surprised to see so many animals that had been discarded. He began to adopt and train these cats to become a part of his show. This venture became the amazing Cat Skills.

Cats are very independent animals, and as Gregory soon learned, each cat has its own personality and habits. The process of training cats is very tedious and time consuming and requires an enormous amount of individual attention. His approach was to find out the natural abilities of each cat and then work with them using their unique likes and dislikes. Their training began at home where they felt relaxed and comfortable. He began working with a minimal amount of music and lights, repeating each trick and gradually increasing the intensity of sound and lights. When the animal was accustomed to this routine, it was an easy transition from the living room to the stage. Gregory’s goal is to educate people to the concept that every animal is unique and that people have a great responsibility to their pets.

The Cat Skills show combined with Gregory’s superlative juggling, equilibrist balancing on the Rolla-Bolla, cigar box routine, and slack wire expertise led to the formation of The One Man Moscow Circus which toured in 1995 to much acclaim in the major cities of Japan.

The unique and entertaining Comedy Pet Theatre has been featured in People magazine and The New York Times Sunday Magazine. Gregory has been a guest on The Late Show with David Letterman, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Other television appearances include a Penn and Teller special, Extreme Variety from Las Vegas, Thirty Seconds to Fame, and the Animal Planet. Gregory’s adorable cats and dogs can be seen on the Arm & Hammer Carpet Cleaner commercial.

In June 2006, the Popovich Comedy Pet Theater made its debut at the V Theater in the Aladdin Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Gregory’s wife Izolda and daughter Anastasia are both performers in the show. The Popovich family lives in Las Vegas, along with their 26 furry family members.