Clowning workshop

When you think of clowning, what comes to mind? Circus clowns, right? Something not 'me' at all. But on Saturday I went to an "Introduction to Playfulness and Clown" workshop, run by my friend. I went because I wanted to support her, and to do something out of my comfort zone, and because I was curious, and to see if I could discover ways to access a more relaxed, silly, and playful side of myself.

Clowning isn't just about what circus clowns do, or performing, or even about trying to be funny. The tradition has a history going back many centuries and can be a very gentle practice, simply about rediscovering a child-like sense of imagination, play, improvisation, and joy. The four-hour workshop was a series of games and exercises done in pairs or in a group, designed to help us start to find and connect with each of our own unique clowns.

There were about ten people participating, and we started off by getting into pairs. Person A was to be a human camera and close their eyes, and Person B was to be the photographer and stand behind them, hold them gently by the shoulders and guide them around the room, looking for things of interest to 'take a picture of'. They had to guide Person A into a position to take a good picture - "Okay, stop here, bend down a little to here, lift your head up like this..." - then squeeze their shoulders once to open Person A's eyes and, after a couple of seconds, squeeze their shoulders again to close their eyes and so capture a snapshot of whatever is in front of them. After a while you swap roles.

I can't remember all the games and exercises in detail or the exact order we did them in, but in another one we each had to choose a colourful feather and, individually at first, then in pairs and then as a group, keep it up in the air. We were given a red nose each and got to choose two costume props (I picked a red bowler hat and a purple-ish rose) and used those to play as a group - we had to use our imagination and use them in different ways, and notice what other people were doing and learn to see opportunities to join in. Another was a mirroring exercise. Most of the time a piece of suitable light music was put on, so the exercises often felt a bit like a dance. The last exercise was in pairs, with one person hiding behind a curtain and making noises that the other had to 'act out'.

Unfortunately I think I've described all that very poorly, haha, so my apologies. You'll have to take my word for it that it was interesting and fun, and well worth doing - if you ever get a chance to do a clowning workshop, give it a go. Although I personally never fully lost my sense of nervousness, uncertainty, and discomfort, I'm glad I went, and I'd do it again. Those so-called negative feelings were actually good things. Clowning is about being authentic and what I was feeling came through in my clown. 

Clowning can be a lovely antidote to our modern world of being constantly on the go, striving, achieving, succeeding, knowing, doing, etc. It's about being in the now, pausing and noticing things, about letting go of having to always be doing something, being okay with not knowing what to do. It's not about creating a comic character, but rather about stripping back the selves we've built up and getting back in touch with the wonder, curiosity, exploration and imagination that came to all of us naturally as children. It's about tuning into whatever you're feeling and being authentic about that. Whether you're fed up, confused, sad, in physical pain - whatever - you show it, and can use it as an opportunity, and turn pain or discomfort into pleasure and humour. The clown is a universal archetype, present in everyone, and by sharing our vulnerabilities we can better relate to and appreciate each other. It's not easy; not because you have to learn to do things, but rather because you have to unlearn things. It's about being, not doing.

They say that the clown's red nose is the smallest mask in the world. Masks allow us to hide ourselves and, in doing so, free our inner selves.

Finally, if you have a spare 11 minutes, I've found a lovely TEDx Talk on the topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlkPppKZajM

:)