My name is Marina. I'm a psychologist, a clown and a theater actress.
I really love my life 'cause I love my work, and in my free time, I have a lot of fun.
I'm a 27-year-old woman, and I'm dating a 27-year-old psychologist, too! It's very nice 'cause we can help each other and we have a lot in common to talk about. He lives in São Paulo, which is sometimes difficult, but sometimes it's great 'cause we need to travel a lot and I love that. I love to wait for the day I'll meet Fernando.
I have a lot of friends, including my theater group, and it's wonderful to be with them. I love to go to the theater and go dancing. But sometimes we meet only to talk and drink some beer.
Now, I started to have ballet classes again. I had ballet classes when I was a girl, and I'm loving that!
Marina
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A Very Special Brazilian Clown
Being a clown is like a religion. You have to believe in it. You have to be part of this strange family.The red nose is the smallest mask in the world, so if you really wanna use it, you need to be able to put yourself in evidence, to show yourself.A clown needs to know himself, know his body, and his fears because it is your worst part who will make people have fun. It is your shadow. The clown puts every little part of this shadow in evidence and gives it to the public.It Is an exercise of giving.
I spent 3 years in a circus school, learning about me, my body, and showing my work every week.Today, I still have a lot to learn. In my blood runs a clown blood, for sure. In a clown’s blood you will find a desire to be clear and true with the public, to show our disasters. In fact, every human being is a disaster, and this strange figure with a red nose and big shoes shows you that it is OK to be a disaster.
When I started to be a clown, my entire life changed. I started to understand who I was, how I acted, and who my family was, and I couldn’t be so selfish and blind like I was, for my clown gave me new eyes.I'm not a kids’ clown. I'm an adults’ clown. I show to adults how arrogant and selfish I can be. It’s funny because I shouldn't have these personality traits as I'm a clown...
I believe I'm beautiful, I'm special, I'm the best with strange shoes and a red nose...This is the beginning and, at this point, laughing evolves.It isn’t a delicate art. Some time ago, a man asked me, “Do you really think you are in beautiful clothes?” And I answered, “I think my beauty blinds you, my dear! Don't ever look at me again, you are not prepared to this much.”So, this is it...you don't need to make your public laugh, you need to make them feel comfortable about being human.Marina
First published at http://internationalexchange.blogspot.com/2006/04/very-special-brazilian-clown-dear-all.html
6 comments:
Marina,
Fascinating! A clown who is also a professional psychologist - that must be quite a rarity, though I guess many good clowns are natural psychologists and philosophers. I see clowns as descending from Shakespeare's jesters, who were clever, witty, meloncholy and sometimes daring - being corageous enough to criticise and make fun of kings. I think many adult clowns are depicted looking sad. Perhaps only childrens' clowns smile.
I've often heard that clowns, as individuals, are very sad and often depressed. That does not seem to be at all true of you. Like most if not all of your fellow students you claim to be happy and to love your life and work. Is such contentedness characteristic of this group, or of most of the people from your country?
A fascinating introduction with great photos.
Thanks!
Dennis
...For corageous read courageous!!
Dennis,
sometimes i become depressed about my country politics and the condition of poor people. When you are a clown, you are on the street, and learn about every kind of people, then you start to feel every kind of pain. We, the brazilian clowns, sent a message to the government ": stop trying to do our work, and be only a politician, representing the people of this country."
Marina,
I worked in Africa for a few years, so I understand how being faced with poverty (and politicians)is depressing. I suppose you have to focus on the groups that you can reach and help and accept that you cannot help a whole country or the entire world.
Dennis
Yes Denis, I learned that i'm not a super hereo ... but i really believe in the power of the group ... and become part of this group, the circus family, was the moust therapeustic thing that i ever done. But...tell me more about your work in Africa...
Africa was where I started teaching, in West Africa, in Ghana. That's where I got interested in teaching English as a second language. After a year back in England at university, getting another qualification, I returned to Sierre Leone and taught for another one or two years. By then I had adopted a young African boy called Kwesi. He's just published his autobiography - with an online publisher called Ebooks. You can read a brief description at:
http://tinyurl.com/y83l2t
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