Clowning builds unique skill sets and confidence
On Tuesday, colorful scarves, juggling balls, and big smiles with laughter filled the air when walking into Nick Wilkins’ Clowning class. Annie was happy to offer advice on how to start tossing the balls. “You start with one and then add as you go,” she said. Mackenzie was handling scarves and asked me to give it a try. She motioned the direction the first scarf goes and then the second toss is in an upward direction. I could see their improvement in just a small amount of time and how this easily builds confidence once you have mastered each task.
“Are we having fun yet?” Wilkins asked. “Yes!” came from all corners of the room. A former Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus clown, Wilkins shared the secrets of the trade and enjoyed the campers’ curiosity. “I love it when you ask me questions,” he said. Students were at ease asking everything from who was the first clown ever to what is the white substance you put on a clown’s face to what is your favorite magic trick?
Wilkins pulls out a hat and shows a couple of tricks on how to kick a hat in front and pull it back with fishing wire in the pant leg. Each day, Wilkins will draw a winner from his hat to get a clown face painted on them. Zayden was the winner that day and selected whiteface for the type of face he wanted. Next week, everyone will be designing their own clown face so be on the lookout in our photos for some creative faces!
