Balloons

Twisting balloons is a basic skill for a clown working especially with  children. Mr Fudge´s balloon library is a valuable website to get instructions for many balloon characters.


Here is some background information about the balloon twists.


For more advanced twists you should read this.


Twisting balloons is quite relaxing but it can create also some kind of dependency.


Pelleopiston ilmapallotaidetta valottava sivu on ollut vappuisin satojen kävijöiden vierailun kohteena.  Sieltä löytyy sekä  taikurin ilmapallojen perusohjeita, että linkit noin kymmenen näyttävän ilmapallohahmon taitteluun.

Preparation

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Preparation  is essential part of busking.  Good example of preparation was Ryöväriteatteri,  I saw last weekend in Hämeenlinna pedestrian street Reska.  Five theatre students from Tampere were making contact with pedestrians in vary many ways.  Acrobatics, contact improvisation, mime and physical theatre were languages they  mainly used during their street theatre show.  I quess  they  had planned many of their  gags beforehand.  Although different stimuli  - like fireworks -  inspired them to react in a clownish way.

At least their black and white costumes were carefully designed.  In the dark Finnish night they offered an  unforgettable experience.

Being neat and tidy

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Some days ago our local circus school JYVÄSKYLÄN SIRKUSKOULU had open doors.  Here is a photo taken two hours before performances.



After some busy hours of hoovering and sweeping the new circus space, which will be officially opened in August, was looking like this.






So tidiness is very important - even if you have chosen a tramp character.  You may look very dirty but hopefully it´s only make-up.  Props can also be more easily found from a tidy store room.

Mime tutorials

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Here are some YouTube tutorials to learn  basic mime techniques.


Pantomiimilla ei ole Suomessa paljonkaan perinteitä kuten esimerkiksi Englannissa.  Kuitenkin ilman esineitä voi esittää hurjan paljon erilaisia toimintoja. Tässä joitakin perinteisimpiä.


Avner Eisenberg opetti työpajassaan, että pantomiimisen ilmaisun saa luonnollisemmaksi, kun huomioi, missä kohdin tulee hengittää sisään tai ulos tai pidättää hengitystään.

 

climbing a ladder / TIKAPUUT

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pulling a rope / KÖYDENVETO

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opening   doors /  OVEN AVAAMINEN

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leaning / NOJAAMINEN

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a wall / SEINÄ

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climbing stairs / PORTAAT

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brushing teeth / HAMPAIDEN HARJAUS

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driving a car / AUTON AJAMINEN

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using objects in mime / ESINEIDEN KÄSITTELY

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front mime walk / KÄVELY EDESTÄ

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sideways mime walk / KÄVELY SIVULTA

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blowing a balloon /ILMAPALLO

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lifting and carrying / NOSTAMINEN JA KANTAMINEN

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Moon walk tutorial

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Moon walk looks funny.  With this clear tutorial you can learn it easily.

Finnish clownskills

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Clownskills can be quite extraordinary.  Another way to create astonishment in the audience is to do something very traditional activities.  Here below you can see examples of both of these alternatives.

In the year 2011 Finland won a gold medal in ice hockey world championships.  That tournament will be remembered of one goal made by Mikael Granlund.  It was called ILMAVEIVI.

Now two years later I saw Topi Jaakonaho and Ville Taipale busking together using that special ILMAVEIVI-techniques in the pedestrian street in Jyväskylä.  It looked very funny.

Within some hundred meters another amusing event was happening in the front of the Craftmuseum.  This kind of familiar handicraft activity was used even in Charlie Chaplin´s CITY LIGHTS.



So keeping your eyes open you can find lots of ridiculous material to your clown show.  It can be rooted in the cultural heritage of your own country or be something known all over the world.

Sometimes there can become some barriers in understanding if a certain activity is not known among the audience.  That happened to a world famous mime-artist Nola Rae, when she was miming a violin player in a culture where a violin is not known at all.

Some more articles about basic clown skills will appear to this website - maybe.