The hard job of Clowns

Among the various creative performers, such as acrobats, fire-eaters and jugglers, clowns certainly have a hard job, namely to entertain people. In order to do this, they have to constantly adapt to the audience in front of them. Following the participation in the conference of colleague Dr. Menard, here are some reflections.

In order to be able to make people laugh sincerely, you need great mental abilities and an agile mind. Clowns often have to improvise, interpret and understand not only the culture and sense of humour of those in front of them, but also the dynamic that is unfolding before them, and then perform.

For these artists, preparation is important. However, it is also essential to leave room for improvisation to half of your performance. When you prepare too much, you end up doing it for yourself rather than for the audience, as the latter is always different, and the artist has to "tailor" their performance to the people with whom he interacts. During the show, clowns engage members of the public who are often different from each other. This is a challenge, as the intervention is not planned, and good performers must adapt to the people they interact with, since their aim is to entertain people regardless of the type of audience.

As for clowns, the approach of the performance expansion program, www.performanceexpansion.com, despite being structured and practical, leaves room for flexibility and adapts to those who are "in front". It is necessary not to force an approach, but to effectively adapt and model it to the performer. Listening in order to answer and listening in order to understand are different concepts; the latter attaches great importance to various details such as the tone of voice, posture and facial expressions. Clowns are artists who are to know how to listen in order to understand.

Another key feature that these performers have is the ability to get into the character’s shoes, especially if this latter is very different from them. Getting into the character’s shoes as, say, athletes do when they repeat the routine to be performed during the race is something that also artists do, usually before getting on stage, for instance during the warm-up or when wearing the stage costume.

Some have a routine consisting of specific movements or breathing techniques based upon the concept of mindfulness. Some people, such as jugglers, apply grounding techniques, because for them the feet are the most important part of the body, since they enable them to keep their balance and be able to use their hands properly while standing firmly. Performing a routine before getting on stage enables you to achieve optimal performance levels because, in order to be a true professional, you must perform at the level that is expected of you, and this creates a lot of pressure.

According to the colleague, the artists of the Cirque Du Soleil in Las Vegas perform about 475 times a year, and maintaining high levels of motivation and passion is a challenge for them. The show, albeit always the same, is not really the same, because the audience changes every time. How are these artists able to remain motivated and perform at high levels? True professionals find ways to improve, are proactive and turn challenges into opportunities. The best are obsessed and curious about what to do in order to improve; they are proactive in understanding how to enhance their skills, they are able to put themselves at ease in times of discomfort or embrace their own vulnerability. Finally, they find ways to look at their audience with different eyes every day thanks to their creativity.

The performance expansion program, www.performanceexpansion.com, teaches you how to relax and recover, how to expand your skills and how to turn your vulnerability and insecurity into resilience. Moreover, it is aimed at removing emotional and creative blocks.

Let's learn from clowns. Let’s get involved and make others smile!