ok, i live in los angeles cali, there are no clown schools here at all, i have had the advice of so many clowns for different things. Most told me to watch other clowns and eventualy assist them. I've talked to other clowns and I realized i am pretty much on my own out here in california, the only clowns willing to help me live to far away. So i have decided to go to the clown convention thing at the end of jan begining of feb, and i also decided to take an online class. I hope those things will help. But my real questions are, why is juglling so hard? Where can i get more balloon animal ideas? and finaly, if i do some free birthday partys, will i be ok? I know some balloon animals, and im figuring my character out, but thats all i have for now. Of course i wont do a party till my character is ready. I dont want to wait till febuary to actualy do clown stuff. Someone help me with my millions of questions, hehehe. thanks

Hey, Clara. I saw your post in the other area too. If you're in the LA area, you will have a wealth of jobs to choose from, I'm sure! Juggling is indeed difficult. I have tried it a little bit, but am focusing more on face painting and balloons for now. You should definitely go to any trainings that you can go to. What I would do too is see if you can find out where any clowns in your area will be performing. Then go and just watch. They can't fault you for that. While you don't want to copy anybody, you can get great ideas and find out how they interract with people while they're performing. It would be helpful to you. Just stay on this forum too! We're a helpful bunch!!
Jubilee

Go to your local video rental store and look for some old movies. Good places to start:
Charlie Chaplin
The Three Stooges
Buster Keeton
Red Skelton
The Little Rascals (Our Gang)
Laurel and Hardy
Watching these will give you a solid foundation in Clown type comedy. Study them objectively. Ask yourself what makes them funny? Taking notes maybe a good idea. Identify sight gags and running jokes. Study the physical comedy in them.Studying the silent films will also wet you feet for pantomime. A clowns most useful tool. Watch facial expressions, Practice them in a mirror. Pick an ordinary, everyday task; like folding the laundry.Now, close your eyes and imagine how you would f-old a towel, Fisrt in half, smoothing out the corners and getting it smooth. (imagine you are doing this on a table. Then folding it in thirds, etc. Imagine how a person looks when the're doing these tasks.
Look for the humour in every situation. Go the the mall and watch people. Watch how they walk, how they gesture. Study people. You'll find enough skit material to keep you busy for years. :)
Have fun, now get started on your homework!

Thanks scruffy and jubilee!!! Thank you so much!!!!! You guys have been soooo helpful, i am soooo gonna do everything you guys said. you have ben so helpful, I can't wait to try out all those things! I have alot of buster keaton and charlie chaplin movies i havnt got around to watching so i will finally get motivated to watch them, hehehe. Thank you guys, and if you have more advice give it to me.

Any time... :D

Go to your local video rental store and look for some old movies. Good places to start:
Charlie Chaplin
The Three Stooges
Buster Keeton
Red Skelton
The Little Rascals (Our Gang)
Laurel and Hardy
Watching these will give you a solid foundation in Clown type comedy. Study them objectively. Ask yourself what makes them funny? Taking notes maybe a good idea. Identify sight gags and running jokes. Study the physical comedy in them.Studying the silent films will also wet you feet for pantomime. A clowns most useful tool. Watch facial expressions, Practice them in a mirror. Pick an ordinary, everyday task; like folding the laundry.Now, close your eyes and imagine how you would f-old a towel, Fisrt in half, smoothing out the corners and getting it smooth. (imagine you are doing this on a table. Then folding it in thirds, etc. Imagine how a person looks when the're doing these tasks.
Look for the humour in every situation. Go the the mall and watch people. Watch how they walk, how they gesture. Study people. You'll find enough skit material to keep you busy for years. :)
Have fun, now get started on your homework!

I have found that I have better luck if I watch these types of movies more than once as close together as possible. The first time I watch for fun. The second time I study. Usually the second or third time I watch with the remote in one hand, a pen in the other, and a notebook on my lap. With Laurel and Hardy for instance. Often I don't recognize when a funny sequence actually starts. Suddenly all chaos breaks out with Stan somewhere in the middle. So I hit pause, and then slowly rewind and slow play until I can see just what little thing sets off the craziness. This has helped when I am writing a skit. First I write the outline, filing in in more detail the sections I really see in my head (or the ones that the voices tell me to). Then I take the section with the mess, even if it is just one character running into a door, or chair and try to work backwards and see "how Stan would have done it." Maybe I need to change a lightbulb so I pull out the chair. I'm still not tall enough so I get a ladder. My partner knows better than to walk under a ladder so he goes around and...

Its not the Juggling that is hard its the picking up the dropped objects that is hard. Seriously though, what have you been using to learn? Klutz, Creative Clowning, internet? I ask because I have found the best instructions are found in the klutz book. If you are having a hard time with the juggling after going through that book, pm with what is going wrong and I will try to help.

Also keep in mind that if you are unable to do three balls, just juggle one. It is really funny when have a sign in front of you act that says worlds greatest ball juggler and then you open you suitcase take out three different balls and choose one and just juggle that one.

Also keep in mind that juggling is a great thing to learn from someone else. If you are lucky enough to find a juggling club local to you(check highschools, colleges and the like) you can go to a meeting and chances are you will learn to juggle at that meeting.

i wish I lived in Cali because I would love to help you. Any questions about juggling shoot me a message and I will do my best to answer them.

Welcome, I'm also new to this forum. Really great postings within, just take some time and read through the previous ones.

Where's there's a will ... there's a way.

Juggling is NOT at all easy at first. I am a juggler now. I can do balls and clubs. However, there was a point where I could not do either. You have to keep at it. Be persistant! Every juggler was once a non-juggler! And don't worry about rushing into things. Any clown is very anxious to get shows, but don't risk performing badly just to perform. Make sure you are ready!

And of coarse, GOOD LUCK!!
PLease PM me for more questions!!

Glad I could help.

I'm also a newbie! to everything (in clowning). I have tried juggling and failed. I was starting to kinda get the hang of it then for some reason I quite practicing and I am back at stage 1. :mad:
I think I have the klutz juggling book. I will look for it.
I can't really offer you much advice, seeing as I am so new too.
But good luck, and I hope everything runs smoothly!
Good luck!
inner-clown

Look in the Balloons section and amazing clown resources thread here for instructions on making various balloon animal. I see no reason why you shouldn't start getting some experience by offering your friends and family free birthday parties. Just have something planned to do. You could do games or dances like hokey pokey. There are plenty of clowns like me who never learned to juggle. No matter how many different animals I learn to make for my own amusement 90% of the kids want either a dog or a sword. If you can make a few animals you should be ok to start. When I first started I used to just get dressed up and drive around in my car just waving at people. If I had waited until I was perfect to get out there and learn how to perform I'd still be sitting at home in my clown suit 20 years later.

Lolly Plop, you made me laugh because I love waving at people when driving to an event. I go through drive thru's and everything. One time I went through the McDonalds drive thru and when I got to the window to pay the lady said "whoa! wasn't expecting that". By the time I got to the next window everyone inside was laughing and I was waving at everyone. And at stop lights - LOL - people do the funniest things when they see a clown. What I really love is waving to the kids, they love to see a clown and it's just funny to see one at the stop light, I guess:D .

We went through a McDonalds drive through one time and asked "Is Ronald Home???"

Since your name is Clarabelle, I'm gonna assume you are a female clown. I'm gonna suggest you watch old I Love Lucy and Carol Burnett videos too, so you get an ideal of how a female clown would use facial and body movements to express emotions and ideas.