I am a professional clown for over 20 years and I practiced this profession in the most different circumstances; played in several countries where I don’t speak the language (Portugal, Italy, Oezbekistan, Tunesia, Rwanda, South Africa, Thailand).
I played for children in many different hospitals ( already 15 years working as a clown for Stichting Cliniclowns); played for big groups af children on stage (performance “Poep aan je Laars” in over 100 theatres for 30 till 500 childrenper performance). Playing on EO familydays for 5000 children till 25.000 people; playing on street by improvisation and with big shows; playing for camera in EO television programm “Elly en de Wibelwagen” and for Cliniclowns for Unit Media, website “neuzenroode.nl” with short movies for mentally handicapted children.
Playing a lot of “Christian” performances in churches about themes as forgiveness, spiritual growth, patience and christmas and pentacostal performances.
I followed clowntraining by famous clownteachers as Eric de Bont, Nader Farman, Jos Houben and Luc de Smet. And I am a clown teacher my self, doing this at Stichting Pleisterclowns, at the clowning school in Amsterdam, in therapeutic centre Noorderlicht in Leeuwarden , in several highschools and in nursinghomes and on several Christian Artsis Seminars. Nowadays I give my own clownlessons in Groningen and Leeuwarden. Several pupils of me are now working by cliniclowns also or have a good working practice of theatre-clowning.
I love clowning because of the silent, universal and timeless humour.
Clowning has much to do with who you are and how you are related with your inner child.
I experience almost every day clowning can bring happiness and lightness in peoples lives and it can be healing as well. It can help you accepting what is and living in the moment. It can bring you to who you really are, without defending mechanisms.
The clown touches the heart. The humour of the clown is innocent and never offending.
I get a lot of energy by helping people to develop there own clown and lead them on this beautiful path. It can bring you to the secret of the words Jesus said that you have to be like a child to be in the Kingdom of Heaven. The secret of these words fascinate me my whole life and I am still not ready with it.