Clowning around
Clowns and funny men all over the world people with their dress and sticks. A clown makes his audience laugh. Laughing makes people forget sorrow. It helps them face their problems.
How does a clown make us smile at troubles? The clown always seems to be in trouble. When the clown tries to solve a problem nothing goes right for him. Everything he does only makes things worse. He shows us that we can also solve our problems through fun and laughter.
The clown is not a handsome hero. He was many faults. He may be timid, cowardly, selfish to stupid, but he is still lovable. That’s because he not only shows us our faults but makes us laugh at them.
In the old days, it was often only the clown or court jester who could tell the king his faults or show him that he had made a mistake.
A person who wants to be a clown has to have some special qualities. He must enjoy making people laugh. He must not mind being laughed at. He must also be quick and nimble so that he can do his tricks cleverly.
Like an actor or a dancer, a clown must learn how to move on the stage and communicate his ideas and feelings to his audience.
Many clowns are talented jugglers, mines, mimics or acrobats who pretend to be afraid of dropping something or of falling down to make us laugh. Clowns generally work with a partner or two. Therefore, they need to get their timing right. If the act is not performed as planned then the result may be an accident rather than a funny mix-up.
Clowns often work in pairs. You may have seen Laurel and Hardy on television. Can you think of any others? In these acts, one clown appears t be sensible, while the other one plays the fool. There are some tricks for you to do with a friend.
Imagine you are looking into a mirror while your friend pretends to be your `reflection’ in the mirror. The 1reflection’ must copy exactly every movement you make. If you smile, so must your `reflection.’ Practice other head, arm and leg movements. Now you be the `reflection’ of your friend.
A famous trick is performed by three clowns. Clown A has glass of water. Clown B has nothing. Clown C has a bucket. Clown A drinks the water. Clown B gargles, and clown C spits into the bucket. Of course, clown B and C both have water in their mouths from the beginning. Try this act with two friends.
Stand with your friends hands behind your back. Get a friend to put his or her arms under your shoulders. Now you tell a story while your friend makes all the hand and arm movements to go with the story. Imagine you are telling the story of Tenali’s painting.
The ten Yuan coins
The jesters at the Chinese emperor’s court were allowed to say almost anything they lived. They were able to help the common people since the emperor would listen to them. The emperor once told the Royal Mint not to mint any coins smaller than a 10- Yuan piece. This was a whole day’s pay for a farmer! The people did not know what to do how to tell the emperor that this would make everyday life very difficult.
The clowns at the court found away of doing this. They put up a play for the emperor at the court. One clown acted as a shopkeeper who sold drinks. Another acted as a man who wanted a drink for one Yuan. But, there were only 10 Yuan coin. So the customer had to be given drinks worth 10 Yuan. With great effort and much groaning, the customer drank it all.
The emperor laughed. The next day, he ordered that one- Yuan cine be made again.
There are similar stories of clowns and jesters from all over the world who have not only amused and entertained people but also helped everyone to keep their feet firmly on the ground.
Like it on Facebook, Tweet it or share this article on other bookmarking websites.