Clown News October

Clown Act Helps Kaysville Woman Put On A Happy Face

Clowns in the News: In a joyful voice Peek-a-boo says, “I’m the Happy Birthday clown.” She winds among the tables where some of the senior citizens are celebrating their birthdays during lunch time, placing a smiley face sticker on each celebrant.

KAYSVILLE — At 6 a.m. the alarm awakened Stella McComas and she climbed from her warm bed to begin getting ready for the day as Peek-a-boo the clown.

“It takes me three hours to get ready,” said the 92-year-old lady. Her makeup is the most difficult part. She chooses her outfit as anyone would when getting ready for the day, only this day she picks out a costume with polka dots and huge lined pockets, one of the six authentic clown costumes she made herself. Stella wears a different one each time she goes to Autumn Glow Senior Activity Center to entertain and wish a “Happy Birthday” to those celebrating each month. Each foot is fitted with a striped sock and slipped into big, bright yellow shoes.

In a joyful voice Peek-a-boo said, “I’m the Happy Birthday clown.” She winds among the tables where some of the senior citizens are celebrating their birthdays during lunch time, placing a smiley face sticker on each celebrant.

It is a little more difficult to walk among the tables than it has been in the past. She is using a cane on this day, something she doesn’t usually do. Recent surgery on her knee keeps her from being quite as active.

“She is a whiz,” said Beth Butler, who enjoys attending the senior center for lunch and activities. “What she does at her age is absolutely remarkable and she is warm and friendly.”

A black hat with a vibrant yellow flower is perched on the yellow locks of her wig. Her feet are crossed as she leans on her cane and she sways to the music of the entertainers. Stella loves music. She stepped right up and played the piano for the Autumn Glow Singers when they lost their regular piano player. “I lead the music, but now I have learned to play better because I have to practice,” Stella said.

Jacki Challis, an office specialist at the senior center, describes her as “pretty, a gentle lady, very talented, has a heart of gold and a streak of naughtiness.

“Stella adds an air of fun at the birthday parties and is a real inspiration to the seniors,” she said. “I introduce Stella to the seniors so they know that even at 92 years old you can still have fun if you have the right attitude. And Stella has a wonderful attitude to life. Even having surgery a few months ago hasn’t stopped her.”

Eleven years ago Stella needed to bring some joy into her life. She had lost her daughter to cancer and six months later her husband passed away. “I was in bad shape,” she said of her grief.

But her life brightened when she watched her neighbor come home in a clown costume. Stella went to talk with her neighbor to learn more about being a clown. It was then she decided she would go to clown school in California, where she was living. She made her costumes to clown standards and used her daughter’s wig, which she dyed yellow.

She and other women volunteered their time as clowns in Orange County. They found people who had problems and hoped to cheer them up. “We would visit widows and rest homes,” Stella explained. She also did clowning for children and visited those suffering from cancer.

“I went to horse shows where children with problems would sit on a horse and we would walk around a ring,” she explained. She also participated in parades. After five years of volunteering in California, she moved to Kaysville to be close to her own children.

Stella wanted to be a glitzy clown and wear fun costumes, so she still puts glitter on her nose and eyelids. She used to make balloon figures to give to children, but it is now very difficult for her to tie a knot in the balloons. Stella began volunteering at Autumn Glow in 2001, and she’s still clowning around there. “There are not very many volunteer clowns,” she said.

Clowning isn’t the only thing she is known for. She played a rest home resident named Martha in “One Good Man,” now playing in theaters in West Jordan and Idaho Falls. She accompanied her daughter to an audition for the movie, but at age 72 her daughter, even with white hair, looked too young to play the part. Her daughter mentioned her mother, who was waiting for her. After just one audition and interview, Stella was selected to play Martha.

“Who at 92 would be selected to be in a movie?” Stella asked. “I have never done anything like that. It was a fun experience for a year. Everybody dreams of being a movie star.”

But seeing herself on the big screen was a surprise to her. “I was surprised to see myself in the movie. I thought it was my mother up there,” she said.

“She’s a beautiful lady with a beautiful soul,” Challis said, “and as Peek-a-boo, she’s the only person who wears more makeup than I do!

Ringling Brothers Circus Brings Out Child in Everyone

Clowns in the News: The 138th-edition circus — "Over the Top," which opens Wednesday night at Mellon Arena for a five-day run — features a wacky and whimsical storyline that is woven among the acts throughout the show.

The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is tagged "the greatest show on earth" for a good reason, ringmaster Chuck Wagner says.

Where else, under one roof, can people see jaw-dropping acrobatic and trapeze stunts, seven motorcycles spinning in a globe, comical clowns, wild and domestic animals doing tricks to entertain the audience, and more?

"It's everything you want in the circus and more," says Wagner, of Pensacola Beach, Fla. "We're having a great time."

The magic of the circus lies in its whimsical, childlike spirit for people of all ages, Wagner says.

"It's a chance to let entertainment wash over you. It takes a lot of love to put the show together. The love hits the audience and becomes a transcendent experience."

Wagner has regular spats with Tom Dougherty, a master clown, as they fight over who gets to control the giant, magical top hat that determines the flavor of the show. The clown wants to steal the hat to make the circus silly, while Wagner wants to steal it back to make it more exciting.

The audience will love the comedy involved, along with the one-giant-ring format, rather than the classic three rings, Wagner says. One big ring allows more room for each act and lets people focus their attention more.

"The whole idea of the (three) rings was that there would be so much to see that you had to come back," Wagner says. "By allowing just one grand arena ... you can really focus on each individual act."

Wagner will be retiring from his four years in the circus at the end of this season to return to Broadway acting, which is his background.

"I've really enjoyed it, and I've loved every minute of it," Wagner says. "I've never seen people ... when they're not smiling."

After the show begins with the national anthem, Gail Mirabella's Highflying Dynamo Dogs will launch the acts with her beloved troop of 13 canines, all of which are her personal pets. Her dogs include border collies, rat terriers -- including the charming Topper the Show Stopper -- and more. The pooches wow the audience with a high-energy Frisbee act with the clowns. The eager dogs fly through the air to catch the discs, and do flips and other acrobatic stunts as they zip around.

The dogs love what they do, and can't wait to be in the spotlight, says Mirabella, who left a job in the pharmaceutical industry in New Jersey four years ago for a life on the road with the circus.

"They're very eager to do it," Mirabella says of her pooches. "Because they have so much energy ... a Frisbee for them is a reward.

"People tell me when they see the act that the dogs are truly having a blast out there," she says. Audience members tell her, "'You can tell that the dogs love you and they're having so much fun.'"

Oops Alley Clowns of West Texas

The Oops Alley Clowns of West Texas recently competed in the Texas Clown Convention, hosted by the ‘Happi Tymes’ Clown Club in Irving. They placed first in the paradability part of the competition with a routine called ‘Hark The HAIRLESS Angels Sing.’

TCA conventions are for training, competition and sharing of creative ideas among clowns from the state of Texas. Participating clowns were: Kay ‘Klynky’ Henry and Susan ‘Tinker’ Butler, both of Odessa, Sally ‘Sassy’ Papasan, Linda ‘Greenie’ Greene and Claudette ‘Miss Motzi’ Hayes, all of Midland, Sandee ‘Hayseed Sally’ Finley of Lubbock and Kathy ‘Piccolo’ Keaton of San Angelo. Greene and Hayes also placed third in the group skit competition.

Somerville Clown Taking Act to Russia

Clowns in the News: Alex the Jester

Somerville — .The U.S. State Department is trying on a new style of diplomacy. Later this month, they’ll be sending a local clown to Russia to help thaw out any remaining Cold War tensions.

Alex the Jester, aka Somerville’s Alex Feldman, will be making a weeklong trip to Russia to perform in theaters and visit orphanages and children with mental illness on a State Department grant.

“They’re trying to get some good feeling, I guess, between America and the Russians,” Feldman said. “You can sometimes touch the heart in a slightly different way than when you’re talking. I’ve learned that when I shut my trap I am definitely connecting on a different pathway”

When Feldman performs, he does speak, but it’s in a nonsense language that audiences can interpret through his body language and listening to his tone. Feldman does international showcases every few years, and said he sometimes has to make minor adjustments for new audiences, but thanks the continued popularity of clowning in Russia; Alex the Jester might seem familiar to his audience.

“One of the reasons jesters speak the nonsense language is because of censorship in the medieval times. In Russia, for decades, the speaking actors were heavily censored and the clowns would carry the message of the common man,” Feldman said. “It was like a security blanket that the Russians really clung to to help get through some dark periods.”

Clowning is still considered a fine art in Russia, Feldman said, but it’s a fine art that appeals to a wide audience.

“If you can get three generations laughing and you’re not mocking or making people feel bad, strangers don’t feel like strangers,” he said. “I could borrow money from anyone in my audience.”

The show Feldman will be performing, which centers on a monk who wants to leave his life of bookmaking behind, deals with themes he thinks cross geographic borders.

“Here, today, we often have to sweat our way through jobs but on Halloween or on Facebook, or at night we sort of let our hair down and cut loose,” he said.

The trip will also help Feldman connect this his history. His paternal grandparents met while fleeing Russia in 1925, and this will be the first time Feldman has gone to their homeland.

Clowns Play the Fool at Convention in Mexico City

Clowns in the News: Mexico City Clown Convention

(NECN/APTV) - Hundreds of clowns from across Latin America gathered in Mexico City on Monday for the 14th International Clown Convention.

The convention brought together clowns, from Mexico, Central America and the United States, for four days of workshops, classes, competitions and performances.

One clown said he thought the job was an excellent career choice. "It's a very respectable job, a great job that can touch everybody from the very young one to the old," he said.

Clown Tomas Morales said that they hoped to start a clown school and were planning to raise money to get the project started.

Clowns Masters of Meticulous Mayhem

Clowns in the News:Aga-Boom

Technically, the MTYP season-opener Aga-Boom is recommended for audiences aged three and up. No matter how much you might enjoy your adulthood, you may find yourself envying the little juvies in your midst as they laugh, scream and engage in near-rioting over the course of this hour-long clown show, while most adults in the audience are obliged to engage in half-hearted (and largely unnecessary) efforts at crowd control.

The Las Vegas-based troop, veterans of Cirque de soleil and the Russian State Circus, began their Winnipeg run with a Thursday afternoon show for young school kids (public shows started last night), and by the chaotic finale, they rocked the joint, with at least one seven-year-old happily making his way to the school bus afterwards exclaiming: "That was the best play I've seen!"

If it ends in chaos, it starts with some meticulous clowning courtesy of Boom (Irina Ivanytska), the sole female in the trio, as she attempts some housecleaning, only to fall under the spell of a big red button bearing the cautionary message "Do Not Touch."

A message like that inspires more vocal audience reaction than a Jerry Springer sideshow, at least from the young 'uns who loudly urge Boom to obey or disobey the directive. Her choice results in an appearance by one peeved astronaut (Valery Slemzin) before the narrative dissolves into more random clowning comedy featuring the show's third star, Aga, played by director Dimitri Bogatirev, a guy who can perform juggling miracles with a small suitcase.

The huge sheet of paper that provides the simple backdrop will figure prominently in the action, providing the basis for some delightful illusion. The willingness of the cast to do damage to the paper scrim foreshadows the paper-fighting, balloon-bouncing denouement that feels for all the world like the finale of a particularly exuberant rock festival.

The Russian troupe is all about having a good time, an easy task given Ivanytska's ability to charm and Bogatirev's ability to whiz a toy airplane around himself with astonishing dexterity.

School shows notwithstanding, the sole educational lesson on view here is that, no matter how simple clowning appears to be, it is an art form requiring formidable skills.

Count the members of Aga-Boom as masters of the form.
-Manitoba Theatre for Young People

HEAVY HITTER: Portillo Adds Heft as 'Boss Clown'
for Ringling Brothers 'ZING ZANG ZOOM' Edition

Clowns in the News:Zing Zang Zoom

The irony is not lost on Dustin Portillo. Weighing nearly 300 pounds after graduating high school, he lost more than 125 pounds in order to become a successful clown. Now, in his role as part of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's latest circus edition, opening Wednesday at Quicken Loans Arena, he leads the group known as "the Heavies."

"Prior to me joining Ringling Brothers, back in '04, I went to a clown camp, and a guy who was a Master Clown with Ringling Bros. Circus, Frosty Little, said, 'If you want to get on the Ringling show, you have to lose weight,'" Portillo said. "That really stuck in my mind."

Portillo, during a phone interview that happened to land on his 23rdbirthday, said rather than following a fad diet, he followed certain rules — such as no eating past 5 p.m. — as part of an overall approach to shed the pounds. With a schedule of circus performances through 2010, plus a gym that's available for the performers as well as a weight set he uses in his hotel room, he follows a lifestyle of moderation in his eating habits.

Portillo joins the rest of the cast, animals, sights and sounds of the 139th edition of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, aka The Greatest Show on Earth, for its run Wednesday through Oct. 26 at Quicken Loans Arena. It's latest edition is called "ZING ZANG ZOOM."

An enthusiast of Ringling Bros., and clowns in particular, since attending his first performance as a 4-year-old, Portillo used the goal of working for the legendary circus as a motivating factor throughout his life. He graduated high school early, attended clown school and moved from his Missouri home to the Six Flags amusement park in upstate New York until a scout from Ringling Bros. asked him to join in 2005.

Asked what intrigued him about clowns when the painted faces, bright colors and costumes can just as easily frighten a young child, Portillo said, "I'm not really quite sure. I really can't explain it. It was just ... I went to the circus and the clowns stuck out in my mind. And from that time that's what I was stuck on was when to be a Ringling clown.

"In my life, I've only done one job, and that was a clown. I've always stuck to my goal. When I was 4, I wanted to be a clown and now here I am on the show and still living out my dream."

In this 139th edition, the ZING-master Alex and his assistant, Levitytia, lead the audience through a world of fantasy and illusion. The duo's actions counter the show's villain, Mr. Gravity, and his team of Heavies. They make a 4-ton elephant disappear, turn Mr. Gravity into a tiger and teach apprentice magicians to levitate their parents.

Other acts in Zing Zang Zoom include human cannonballs, the double wheel of steel and gigantic swings along with a herd of Asian elephants, Bengal tigers and Arabian and Friesian horses.

Portillo sees the mix of traditional circus performances with 21st-century twists as a natural progression. "Just like video games and video consoles and even TV and electronics, everything has to be more modern," he said. "If we were sticking to the three rings and no storyline, we would be in the past and circuses nowadays would be way ahead of us. So, we definitely have to be ahead of the game and be the ones to innovate.

"We're always trying to outdo ourselves for a new edition. We aren't called 'The Okay-est Show On Earth;' we're called 'The Greatest Show on Earth' for that reason alone.

"We are always bringing something new to the audiences. It would get pretty boring fast if every single year, we came to Cleveland, Ohio, and we were bringing the same exact show there and we weren't changing anything. So, we have to keep outdoing ourselves."

The crowd can get into the act an hour before showtime by joining in the Ringling Bros. Clown College during the All Access Pre-show, which is free to all ticketholders.

Those who attend won't recognize Portillo in his costume. In another ironic twist, the man who lost so much weight in order to join the circus now uses padding under his clothing to expand his figure.

"A couple of years ago, I wanted to wear fat pads for my character and costuming said, 'No, no, you don't want to wear it. It's way too much work,'" Portillo said. "This year, whenever I was given the role of the Heavy, I said, 'I really want to wear a fat pad. I think it will go really well with my character.'

"The character is really dumpy, almost like one of the seven dwarfs. His energy is focused close to the ground. So, I figured I needed to have a fat pad to enhance and get the feeling of my character to grasp to the audience."

He continued, "And then, all of a sudden, the circus wants me to do CircusFit PR's, talking about my drastic weight loss! I think that's very, very funny."

In just a few years with Ringling Bros., Portillo has advanced to Boss Clown, which puts him in charge of the production's other 13 clowns. "I am in charge of the Clown Spots to make sure that everything looks presentable," he said. " I am the one who really is the backbone of Clown Alley to make sure that everything runs properly."

He immediately gives a brief history on Clown Alley. Originally, it was the clowns' backstage area located between the Big Top and performers' tent. In case the show needed a jolt of energy or an accident occurred, the clowns would be nearby and could rush on to the floor area to entertain the crowd.

Although his lifelong passion has been realized, Portillo understands that he still has much work to do. Besides taking the advice to get in shape, he also holds fast to other words of wisdom by Frosty Little that deal with the passing of time making you a better clown.

"It's true. It takes five to 10 years to become a good clown and 10 to 20 to become a great clown, because you just have to put heart and soul in what you do."

This story is a wonderful, touching example of the International Clown Week quote by President Nixon: "...the clown leaves happiness where he goes, and takes misery away with him."

Lev Leytzan Clowns: Crossing Borders, Bringing Hope

Madarasz Children’s Hospital, Budapest: Shlomo Golombeck and Yoni Katz.

“Good health and happiness in 5770!” We all wish it for each other, and here—in the U.S. in the 21st century—we know how to pursue it. There are some bleak places in the world, though, where there is little hope for either good health or happiness. There, the New Year might elicit nothing more than a sigh from people who have been oppressed for generations. There, there’s no such thing as a visiting nurse or a walk-in mental-health clinic. There, often there isn’t even a mother or a beloved grandmother to turn to. There’s only lethargy and a grim outlook born of having no control over the course of one’s life.

With the goal of bringing joy, laughter, and hope to some of these people, the young adult clowns of Lev Leytzan traveled this past summer to some of these most affected of places, bringing with them their red noses, floppy shoes, polka-dotted pants, and a whole lot of good spirit!

Under the auspices of its Ambassador Program, directed by Beth Friedlander, Ed.M., LMSW, Lev Leytzan: The Compassionate Clown Alley, Inc. traveled this past August to Budapest, Hungary. The program, accompanied by executive director Neal C. Goldberg, Ph.D., brought an extraordinary troupe: Zachy Adler (DRS-HALB), Adam Gindea (Columbia University), Shlomo Golombeck (Mesivta Ateres Yaakov), Yoni Katz (DRS-HALB), Simcha Lustig (Yeshiva of Far Rockaway), and Aron Martin (Yeshiva of Far Rockaway).

Lev Leytzan’s Ambassador Program identifies emotionally needy communities overseas and brings Lev Leytzan’s unique brand of relief to their people. Ms. Friedlander notes that in Eastern Europe there remains an unaddressed communitywide malaise of post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from the terrors of the Holocaust and years of Communist rule.

“When you walk on the street in Romania or Hungary, you do not encounter the good cheer and ease that you find here,” she says. “You find people who seem perpetually sad and burdened, uncomfortable and unsure. They are starving for positive human contact and yearning to form memories of experiences that bolstered them. They need these to counter memories of a lifetime of experiences that left them feeling broken.” With vast social services deficits in these countries and most humanitarian organizations sending only material items, Lev Leytzan’s clowns are a perfect fit.

This summer’s trip brought the clowns to a variety of Hungarian institutions, from nursing homes and hospitals to a Jewish festival, the world-famous Budapest Circus, and a one-of-a-kind summer camp for Jewish children living in distress in many Eastern European countries. The clowns’ mission began at the Budapest JCC, entertaining a large group of kids from troubled homes. The improvised antics were a welcome change of pace for the children and a spectacle they are sure to remember.

Later, the therapeutic clowning continued with individual visits to Holocaust survivors in their homes. One woman was disabled and infirm, living in a sixth-floor walk-up apartment, unable to leave her home. When first encountered, the pain and loss in her life were visible on her face. Remarkably, after enjoying the clowns’ antics, the woman pleaded for reassurance that the pictures taken would be sent to her. “I want to remember! I want to remember!” she cried. From her exclamations the clowns learned the enduring value of their work: what is important is not just the momentary distraction that the performances provide, but also the ongoing memory of nurturing contact that they leave behind.

The trip continued with more therapeutic clowning, more bonding, and opportunities for the clowns to make their own memories as they visited the restaurants, museums, and special quarters of Budapest.

The clowns of Lev Leytzan were delighted to bring happiness to a place where it is a scarce resource and to be able to leave some of it behind in the memories of those they touched. Advisory Board member Jeremy Garber notes, “We are very proud of our Ambassador Program as it is a natural extension of the therapeutic clowning services Lev Leytzan volunteers have been providing to local hospitals and health-care centers for the past six years. Our hope is that with continued financial support we will be able to bring the Ambassador Program to other needy communities overseas.”

Clowns Help Kids Laugh Way to Recovery

The man with a red nose greets you politely and hands you a flower. You put your hand out, and the red plastic flower shrinks away from you. Meet Dr Boing, a.k.a Sanjay Balsavar.

Dr. Boing says, medicines take time to cure patients, but I give instant cure – a smile.

Balsavar, 37, is a magician and a clown by choice and a graphic designer by profession. At 8, fascinated by magic tricks he used to collect pocket money to buy magic books which were costly then. Building his repertoire of tricks, he has been entertaining people, especially children, for over 30 years.

A little more than a year ago, Balsavar came across a course for clowning at Alliance Francaise by Docteur Clown, an NGO which provides free assistance to medical teams in hospitals for speedy recovery of sick children. This was the birth of Dr Boing, the clown who can also do magic!

Balsavar is a part of the seven member group of Docteur Clown, Bangalore. This group visits pediatric wards at city based hospitals dressed as clowns and entertains sick children. They divert children’s attention from the usually scary hospital mood – injections, medicines and monstrous machines to a joyous one. He says, it is a delight to see a glowing smile on their faces.

“It means the world to me”, he says. The group also takes special care not to scare the children. As a precaution, Docteur Clown members wear minimal make up and if any child gets scared, they quickly recede.

One experience that Balsavar most often comes across in his hospital visits is that the children refuse to let him go from one bed to the other. “Don’t go, stay with me," is the usual reaction, he says.

"We never promise to see them again”, he says, adding it would imply they are expecting to see the same children still in hospital during their next visit.

Docteur Clown members are also very particular about hygiene as much as they care about the childrens’ emotions. They do not touch the children while they are entertaining them. They head home immediately after their hospital visits and sterilise their clown costumes keeping them ready for their next visit.

Transition seems to come naturally to Balsavar. If at one moment he talks about magic continuously losing its charm or about philosophies of life with immense conviction, the very next moment a sentence such as, "I am also a doctor", might take someone by surprise.

With a nod and a smile he would quickly say, “See medicines take time to cure patients, but I give instant cure – mental cure - which is (a) smile."

Clowning Classes to Start Soon

The Caloosa Clown Alley, under the instruction of local resident Kent "KA-YO" Sheets, is now offering a six-week class in "the art of clowning."

Classes will be held in the months of October or November, depending on registration.

Classes are from 7 to 9 p.m. and cost $95, which includes basic makeup and a workbook.

The Caloosa Clown Alley COAI#97 was founded Aug. 23, 1978, said Sheets. "The alley is chartered with the Clowns of America International (COAI.org)," Sheets said. "They participate in a variety of public service and community events each year."

In February of this year, when the last set of classes were held, numerous local residents participated and enjoyed the classes.

Sheets said he has been "clowning around" for the last 14 years. "I started when a friend asked me to attend a week-long clown school sponsored by the Florida Fire Department in Ocala," he said. There he said he learned various clown skills. "That includes make-up, costume, magic, balloons, skits and more.

"Fire departments across the state of Florida use clowning to promote fire safety to children," he continued.

"Clowning brings great joy to everybody," he said. "One of the biggest thrills is the Edison Festival of Lights Parade, which is held in February, in which the Alley participates each year."

The Caloosa Clown Alley was formed to promote the art of clowning, to share it and spread it.

During National Clown Week (Aug. 1-7) each year, members of the Alley participate in a variety of performances all over Lee County.

Classes are held at Lee Memorial Hospital. "Instruction includes clown make-up, balloon sculptures, magic, face painting, parades, skit performance and additional performance classes," he said.

Students also pick a clown name. He explained how he came up with the name "KA-YO." "'KA' comes from my first two initials and the 'O,' because a lot of clowns end with an 'O' like Bozo, Yo-Yo, Kazoo and others," he said.

Other members of the Alley help with the clown classes, too, including Jack "Wishful" Wilda. "He has been helping for the last 10 years," Sheets said. Wilda has custom-made clown shoes that weigh at least five pounds apiece, specially made by a shoe manufacturer that works with Ringling Brothers Circus.

Space Clown Lands Back on Earth

Billionaire circus entrepreneur Guy Laliberte has returned to Earth
after a 10-day tourist visit to the International Space Station (ISS).

A Soyuz capsule carrying Mr Laliberte and two astronauts landed in Kazakhstan at 1032 local time (0432GMT).

Mr Laliberte, who called himself "the first clown in space", used his trip to promote awareness of water shortages.

On Saturday, he hosted an international performance of artists and speakers to draw attention to the issue.

"The team took the landing quite well; they are feeling fine," a space official was quoted as saying by the RIA Novosti news agency.

Television footage later showed Mr Laliberte emerging from the capsule wearing the red clown's nose he had worn for much of his time in space.

He travelled back to Earth with Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka and Nasa astronaut Michael Barratt from the US, leaving six people still on board the ISS.

Padalka's departure from the station leaves Belgian Frank de Winne in command. De Winne is the first astronaut not from the US and Russian space agencies to hold the position.

Mr Laliberte, founder of the Cirque du Soleil theatre company, blasted into space from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 30 September, accompanied by Russian cosmonaut Maksim Surayev and US astronaut Jeffrey Williams.

On Saturday, Mr Laliberte hosted a show called Moving Stars and Earth for Water, which was broadcast live on the website of his charity, One Drop.

The performance involved artists and activists from 14 countries taking it in turns to recite passages from a poem by author Yann Martel, followed by an artistic performance.

During the show, Mr Laliberte said planet Earth looked "so great, and also so fragile".

"We should not forget that we have a great privilege to live on planet Earth," he said.

Mr Laliberte was the seventh private individual to make the trip to the ISS and reportedly paid $35m for his ticket.

Opportunities for tourists to visit the orbiting laboratory are likely to become extremely limited in future.

The expected retirement of the US space shuttles in 2010/11 will mean all Soyuz seats are needed to maintain the resident station crews, which now number six individuals.

"Cirque" Founder Hosts Space Show for Earth's Water

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Guy Laliberte, the Canadian billionaire circus entrepreneur, flew into space with a clown nose and an idea that was literally out of this world.

His concept is set to come to fruition on Friday when Laliberte hosts a global performance event from the International Space Station involving singers, dancers and celebrities in 14 cities around the world to highlight the scarcity of clean water for people in many parts of the world.

Celebrities including pop star Shakira, actor Matthew McConaughey, former U.S. Vice President and environmental activist Al Gore and U2 singer Bono will take part with readings and performances via satellite link-up from 14 cities including New York, Mexico City, Johannesburg, Paris, Mumbai, Montreal, Rio de Janeiro and Moscow.

Laliberte, founder of "Cirque du Soleil" and the world's seventh space tourist, is set to open and close the show from the space station. Called "Moving Stars and Earth for Water," the two-hour event is billed as the first of its kind to be hosted from space.

"I don't have 25 years, the world doesn't have 25 years, to address the situation of water, so I think this was a great opportunity combined with a personal dream, having a greater benefit than just coming to space," Laliberte, 50, said in a news conference from the space station this week.

Millions of people in developing countries do not have access to clean water, and water-borne illnesses are a persistent problem in many impoverished regions.

Laliberte, a former street performer whose "Cirque du Soleil" entertainment empire has produced more than 19 music and acrobatic shows around the world, arrived at the International Space Station on October 2 -- along with his red clown's nose -- on a trip that cost him more than $35 million.

The Montreal-based nonprofit One Drop Foundation, which Laliberte launched in 2007, works to increase access to clean water worldwide and bring attention to the issue.

The event at 8 p.m. EDT on Friday (midnight GMT) will be broadcast on satellite TV in the United States, Canada and Latin America and also can be seen on the Internet at www.onedrop.org.

DRC: Send In the Clowns

NAIROBI, 8 October 2009 (IRIN) - In an effort to help displaced children living in camps in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo cope with the trauma of seemingly endless conflict, clowns have come to the rescue.

"Children who live in areas of crisis, such as conflict or post-conflict zones, rarely get to laugh," Asuka Imai, a field officer with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in the eastern DRC town of Goma, said in a statement. About half the million people displaced by fighting in eastern DRC are children.

The entertainers from Clowns Without Borders performed to some 48,000 people in all. The NGO was created in 1993 because of the suffering, especially among children, caused by the war in the former Yugoslavia. They are professional clowns or circus artists who volunteer their time and talent.

"I will be leaving the camp soon since peace has generally come back to my village," said Pascal, 42, from the Masisi region. But he hoped Clowns without Borders would return to perform for those who will bear the mental scars even after going home.

"Even there, children need this kind of entertainment to overcome the suffering and the difficulties, to continue with their life," he said. "Bringing a smile to an unfortunate kid, or even any normal kid, is a wonderful gift to give."

Circus Clown's Greatest Stunt in Space? Smashing Head Against Ceiling

The world's first space clown has said his best stunt on the international space station has been accidentally banging his head three times in the same day.

Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte made the comment after he was asked during a news conference what tricks he's performed since blasting off last week.

Laliberte responded that he was struggling to adjust to weightlessness in the absence of gravity _ but he promised to get better.

"The best stunt I pulled is hitting my head three times in the same day,'' the circus impresario quipped.

"I would definitely spend more than the eight days that I am spending here. There is so much to learn, there is so much to discover, so much to look at," he said. The billionaire is Canada's first space tourist, after plunking down $35-million for his mission to the space station.

Laliberte will organize an international event Friday where artists in 14 cities will perform shows to raise awareness about water conservation.

He will host the spectacle from the space station, and be joined by performers like U2's Bono, Shakira, and Peter Gabriel, and also by former U.S. vice-president Al Gore.

The Cirque boss was asked whether the trip was worth $35-million and he replied without hesitation: "It's worth every penny and more.''

He said not only was the trip a fulfillment of a personal dream, but also the chance to raise awareness about an important social cause.

Laliberte said he found himself grinning from ear to ear because of the joy of the experience, and he said he would gladly spend more time in space. However, he quipped that six months was probably too much for him to handle.

That was a nod to his Canadian compatriot Bob Thirsk, a professional astronaut who's currently on the space station for a six-month mission there.

Laliberte was joined by a group of astronauts for a press conference where they fielded questions from journalists on different continents, including some at NASA headquarters, in Europe, and at the Canadian Space Agency in Longueuil, Que.

Other astronauts, when asked how they felt about sharing the station with a tourist, applauded Laliberte's water campaign, saluted his sense of enthusiasm, and expressed hope that more people could get to enjoy space tourism.

At BU, Class Clowns Are Welcomed for A Change

Boston University theater students were invited to partake in a "clown college master class" recently, a seriocomic affair led by two seasoned Ringling Bros. clowns who swung from slapstick low comedy to philosophical observations on their craft.

Leo Acton and Mike Richter are an advance clown team, arriving weeks before the actual circus comes to town to spread goodwill and share generations-old clown knowledge and gags. Acton is a graduate of Ringling Bros.' Clown College (a real-ish institute of higher learning), which he describes as a sort of comedy boot camp, "with really big boots."

Richter, a New Hampshire native, says the secret to clowning is to "say yes" and follow any leads your improvisational partners offer. The two emphasized that clowning (and improvisational acting in general) isn't necessarily about you getting the laugh; it's about getting the biggest laugh possible for a gag as a whole. The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus comes to the TD Garden Oct. 14-18.

Circus Tycoon Clowns Around Aboard Space Station

KOROLYOV, Russia — A Canadian circus billionaire boarded the International Space Station on Friday after a smooth ride up from Earth, and promptly played the entertainer by donning a red clown nose for a camera.

Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte became the seventh paying space tourist to travel to the station, where he plans to mix clownish fun with a serious message about the growing shortage of clean water on the planet 220 miles (355 kilometers) below.

Laliberte floated onto the orbiting outpost along with American astronaut Jeffrey Williams and Russian cosmonaut Maxim Surayev two days after the three had launched in Soyuz craft from the Kazakh steppe.

Laliberte returns to Earth on Oct. 11, while Williams and Surayev will live on the station for nearly six months.

"I'm adapting pretty good. I love that thing — but I ain't staying six months," Laliberte said in a video linkup to Russian Mission Control outside Moscow, where his five children and partner Claudia Barilla watched the Soyuz TMA-16 docking on a big screen.

He chatted with his children in French — "Allo, Papou," a son said; "Je t'aime, Papou," said a daughter. He put on a red clown nose and wagged an index finger at his audience, stealing the show as he crowded in with the space station's eight other occupants in zero gravity.

Laliberte also asked one of his children why she wasn't wearing a clown nose, and she said she had forgotten it.

"We were happy he didn't get space sick," Barilla told The Associated Press while cuddling their 2-year-old daughter.

An experienced acrobat, fire-eater and stilt-walker, Laliberte also had put on a clown nose before Wednesday's launch, and brought several to the station for crew mates to try on. He warned he would tickle them while they sleep.

But he has a serious mission as well. He planned to read a poem dedicated to water conservation in a satellite linkup to be shown in 14 cities next Friday. Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, pop singer Peter Gabriel and Irish rock group U2 also will participate.

Quebec-born Laliberte, 50, is a former street performer is worth an estimated $2.5 billion and holds a 95 percent stake in Cirque du Soleil, which he founded 25 years ago.

On his return to Earth, he will accompany two of the station's current crew members aboard one of three Soyuz crafts now docked at the station.

But Laliberte may be among the last space tourists for several years, with NASA planning to retire its shuttle fleet next year and rely on Russia to ferry U.S. astronauts to the station — meaning fewer extra seats on the delivery craft.

Russian space agency chief Anatoly Perminov said Friday that Russia will be unable to send tourists to the station if the United States does not continue its shuttle flights.

Third-time space traveler Williams, 51, and first-timer Surayev, 37, will be in orbit for 169 days.

"We are really proud of him," said Surayev's wife, Anna, who watched the docking along with their two daughters. "Glad his dream came true, because it took him 12 years to achieve it."

River City Clowns’ Midnight Clown Adventure
for Extreme Makeover Home Edition

I was contacted thru the Indiana Clown Supplies’ website by Kyle Spivey of Extreme Makeover Home Edition. He wanted to surprise a fellow designer on the show with a few clowns for her 24th birthday at midnight on September 11, 2009. What an odd request, is this for real?? Well, I put the word out...

The night felt a little unsettling because deep down I was afraid we were being set up, pranked, punked or whatever you call it. I was so unsure that my stomach was upset. I would not be able to stand the thought of all these great volunteers giving up their Friday night, their sleep, their family time, and getting all dressed up in clown gear to drive to a PRANK! I knew I would never live it down! Even though, the email address from Kyle was emhe.com, I was still walking ever-so-lightly. Kyle had to know in advance because we had to be cleared by security to get into the build area.

Sunshine, Ernest T, Baggy Geenz and Wulwee met on Friday night at 10:00 p.m. at Storage Solutions’ parking lot to leave for Henderson to meet with ToeKnee, Hoky Poky, Prissy and Tater. We were driving to Owensboro to Baka’s home and all riding together to Lewisport in Baka’s church van. The final destination was the home being built by TV show Extreme Makeover Home Edition for the Messenger Family.

When we arrived at Baka’s home in Owensboro around 11:00, we all piled into the church van. It has room for 12 (people) but 9 clowns sat comfortably, the worst part was navigating these BIG clown shoes!

I took my GPS with me just to make sure we were on the right track – didn’t need it, Baka knew where he was going. Once we arrived at Lewisport, we could see the white ‘glow’ over the trees. The lights were shining brightly in the sky since this is a 24-hour-a-day operation. It was TRUE, they were there! I don’t need to throw up now! As we approached the address Kyle provided me, we were stopped by EMHE security. I was told to tell him we had a ‘delivery’ for Kyle. He understood by the looks of US just what this ‘delivery’ was! You would have thought the President of the United States was there, the security crew all had earpieces, radios, etc, just like the secret service! We gave him a clown nose while we waited. He got the word from his radio to let us proceed to the next security area. Upon arriving there, we were directed to follow some of the security folks up the drive to the house. Boy, were we ready to clown! But no, we were told to wait! (I found out we were not allowed to take pictures inside the new home, as that would be a violation, but we could take pics outside.) We could not leave the van yet, as they were not ready for us to be on the move! Then, the word came down, let the clowns get out and run to the house. We felt like the Swat Team! We gathered our balloons and facepaints and ran up the drive to the home. They opened the door and WOW – there were hundreds of folks inside waiting for us!

I brought 72 foam clown noses for the designers, workers and volunteers, not even knowing how many to expect. I never expected that many people inside the home! They were snapping their cell phone cameras, digital cameras, and grasping at clown noses being distributed thru the crowd. Since we saw the flashes, a couple of us also began taking pics. You couldn’t see anything, just wall-to-wall bodies. The excitement began to build as they said Veronica, the birthday girl, was on the move. She wasn’t aware of our little surprise yet, so more fun was to begin. They brought the clowns close to the front door, opened it and everyone yelled SURPRISE! Then everyone began singing Happy Birthday. There was a cake too. More flashes of cameras! Then RCC had to sing our song, Happy Birthday Backwards. Everyone loved it and joined in again.

After awhile we calmed down and moved outside on the front lawn for more pictures. After about an hour of posing this way and that, we began twisting balloons and facepainting. We were allowed to go into the new home and look around if we wanted. Remember, this is now around 1:00 a.m. on Saturday morning and several designers and volunteers were still there hemming curtains, hanging items on the wall and finishing rooms. The big reveal was to be in 13 hours and they had a lot of work yet to do! We left around 1:15 amid hugs and handshakes – so much excitement in such a short time. Kyle said we could return on Saturday if we wanted and Baka said he’d be back. Kyle asked our tee shirt sizes, which we provided, and he would get some EMHE tee shirts for us!

Baka drove to Denny’s in Owensboro and we enjoyed a ‘snack’, some snacks were slams and others were actually healthy. We probably stayed there about an hour, then took off for home. I think most of us felt pretty good because the adrenalin was pumping strong! Ernest T was ‘christened’ into River City Clowns tonight! This was his first event after becoming a River City Clown. What a welcome!

Several of us had to clown at 9:15 a.m. so a little sleep was necessary – we didn’t want to let down our fellow joey’s or the event coordinators who called us to be there.

Sunshine arrived home at 3:45, removed her greasepaint and dropped into bed by 4:00. That was the quickest ever and I didn’t take it off so great. After a couple of hours sleep, the alarm went off at 6:45 and UP and ADAM! Here we go again...

This was a wonderful experience for me. I have the greatest respect for Extreme Makeover designers and volunteers! They do a great service for those in need.

Thanks also to those clowns who wanted to come, but life got in the way. Maybe there will be a next time!

I also respect all the clowns who were able to come out as this was the most bizarre clowning experience I can remember! Thank you all, you’re super in my book!

Giant Leap for First Space Clown, Guy Laliberte

Circus billionaire Guy Laliberte became the first clown in space yesterday. The founder of Cirque du Soleil put on a red nose as he boarded his spacecraft.

He paid £20million to be the latest tourist to visit the International Space Station.

The Canadian's friends and family launched into Elton John's Rocket Man when the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan announced the Soyuz craft was in orbit. Partner Claudia Barilla, also wearing a clown's nose, wept as she said: "I'm very happy for him. It's amazing."

Guy, 50, once a street performing fire-eater and stilt-walker, founded his circus arts and theatre company 25 years ago and is now worth £1.5billion.

The clown and his crew burst into 70s pop hit Mammy Blue as the Russian rocket blasted into space.

SBI!

Clown News October 2009