Hi there! It’s getting warmer every day, and summer is upon us. It is a pleasure to have less traffic, even though I miss our two snowbird clowns, Pretzel and Candy Bar. Clowning when it’s very hot has its limitations. If we are outside our balloons may pop, we must be under some kind of protective covering to prevent heat stroke (after-all we are all pretty old), and we have to re-think our costumes. Traditional clowns never showed any bare skin on the legs and initially on the arms. When I started in 1995, all my costumes had long sleeved tops of some sort, tights to cover my mid-legs, gloves to cover my hands, and a wig to cover my hair. I was a “white-face” clown, which means I had no bare skin showing anywhere. My neck was white down to the top of my costume and my wig covered the back of my neck. Male clowns had the same restrictions. You rarely saw a clown wearing short sleeves (not a real clown anyway!) We were taught that this was the traditional look for a serious clown, and when I attended national and regional conventions, most of the hundreds of attendees followed the guidelines. Traditions have changed over the past 20 years and today any colorful outfits are perfectly acceptable. So in the warm months we wear whatever is comfortable.
Our last gig at the YMCA, before Mother’s Day, was terrific! Candy Bar went with me and we entertained 70 pre-schoolers in two sessions lasting about 35 minutes each. These little children are so cute, well-behaved and so easy to perform for, that again I state, if you enjoy interacting with younger kids, come and observe us! Anyone who loves this age group can do it. I read two different mother’s day type books, since the 3-4 year olds don’t have the patience to listen to a story with lots of words. The books went over very well. We all sang a few simple songs and the Candy Bar did her fabulous magic show. She got all the kids excited, laughing and reacting to the silliness and mystery of her magic. It was great!! Then we gave each child a sponge heart to bring home to Mommy. The teachers are so wonderful and they love to have us.
Our next and only activity in July is again at the YMCA and Twinkle Toes will join me. We will not be teaching clowning at the country club for summer camp this year. If anyone has any possible suggestions for our group, please contact me at 561-362-6695. Please check out our beautiful web site at Boca Pointe Clowns on Call.com. Don’t forget to wave if you see a clown on property.
