Tag: clown history

  • Early Female Clowns

    Early Female Clowns

    by Bruce Charlie Johnson The stereotype many people have is that women have not been a part of clown history until recently. The opposite is the truth. Periods of history where there were no female clowns are rare. Dorian Mimes The first documented professional entertainers are the comic (clown) characters of the Dorian Mimes who started…

  • Tammy and Tommy Parish

    by Bruce “Charlie” Johnson On November 13, 1996 Tammy and Tommy Parish finished 17 and 18 years respectively touring with the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Tommy graduated from the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College in 1978 and joined the show in 1979.  He was promoted to blue unit boss…

  • Olympic Gymnasts and Clowns

    What do Summer Olympic gymnasts and circus clowns have in common? Some of them use the same skills. Bars Both women and men compete on horizontal bars in the Summer Olympics.  The men perform on a single bar while women perform on the uneven bars. Circus clowns have performed on the same apparatus.  I have…

  • What is a Clown?

    By Bruce “Charlie” Johnson What is a clown? Is it somebody in a bright pair of overalls with an ear to ear smile painted on his face? Is it somebody in a circus who distracts the audience while props are set? Is it somebody who makes balloon animals, and performs a few magic tricks? Is…

  • History and Philosophy

    History and Philosophy

    “To have any movement forward, you have to have a philosophy of clowning.  To have a philosophy of clowning, you have to have a history of clowning.” – Victor Vladimirov, Director of the Moscow State College of Circus and Variety Arts, speaking at the 1993 World Clown Congress in Harnosand, Sweden. “To have a valid…