Blog Post #7 The Traveling Clowns at Kara Tepe
Blog #7
April 24, 22018
The Traveling Clowns at Kara Tepe
Gentle Reader,
Anne and Hannah are the Traveling Clowns at Kara Tepe for a couple weeks. Anne is from The Netherlands, and Hannah is from America, with some Michigan background.
These two have put on several shows at Kara Tepe this week. The universality of their entertainment -- and the fact that they basically perform a wordless show -- breaks down all communication barriers. We have residents from several cultures and backgrounds, and, like music, their shennanigans appeal across all languages.
They always asked for a volunteer during each of their shows, and all hands went up to come forward. They would have the volunteer do a series of strong man/strong woman poses, and then they would give the child a clown nose. All of this while the child is standing front and center on a chair. After the show, they would also paint red noses on children that wanted them. Great fun!
We have a deaf child at the camp, who lost his hearing during an explosion in Syria. He, especially, loved the clown show. He was completely mesmerized by the act, and he didn't miss anything at all due to his hearing loss. It was a beautiful interaction to witness.
I will end today's blog with some quotes about the power of clowning and laughter...
“Everyone has creative potential. Creativity involves using your imagination and inventiveness. Your unique expression of yourself is your creativity...Creativity can be magic when visiting people who are ill.”
― Patch Adams, House Calls: How We Can All Heal the World One Visit at a Time
“The clown knows that life is cruel. The ancient jester's motley coloured costume turned his usually melancholy expression in to a joke. The clown is used to loss. Loss is his prologue.”
― John Berger, Confabulations
April 24, 22018
The Traveling Clowns at Kara Tepe
Gentle Reader,
Anne and Hannah are the Traveling Clowns at Kara Tepe for a couple weeks. Anne is from The Netherlands, and Hannah is from America, with some Michigan background.
These two have put on several shows at Kara Tepe this week. The universality of their entertainment -- and the fact that they basically perform a wordless show -- breaks down all communication barriers. We have residents from several cultures and backgrounds, and, like music, their shennanigans appeal across all languages.
They always asked for a volunteer during each of their shows, and all hands went up to come forward. They would have the volunteer do a series of strong man/strong woman poses, and then they would give the child a clown nose. All of this while the child is standing front and center on a chair. After the show, they would also paint red noses on children that wanted them. Great fun!
We have a deaf child at the camp, who lost his hearing during an explosion in Syria. He, especially, loved the clown show. He was completely mesmerized by the act, and he didn't miss anything at all due to his hearing loss. It was a beautiful interaction to witness.
I will end today's blog with some quotes about the power of clowning and laughter...
“Everyone has creative potential. Creativity involves using your imagination and inventiveness. Your unique expression of yourself is your creativity...Creativity can be magic when visiting people who are ill.”
― Patch Adams, House Calls: How We Can All Heal the World One Visit at a Time
“The clown knows that life is cruel. The ancient jester's motley coloured costume turned his usually melancholy expression in to a joke. The clown is used to loss. Loss is his prologue.”
― John Berger, Confabulations
“I would have liked to cry: the make-up stopped me, it looked just right, with the cracks, with the places where it was beginning to flake off, tears would have ruined all that. I could cry later, if I still felt like it.”
― Heinrich Böll, The Clown
― Heinrich Böll, The Clown
May your day be filled with smiles, maybe even wordless smiles that communicate with such love...may you find laughter to truly be healing in your life today and always.
Namaste,
Marianne
Comments
Post a Comment