people
Jeff Gordon
From the bright lights of Broadway to a dilapidated amusement park in Bangkok; from a Mary Kate and Ashley movie set on a cruise ship to a pediatric AIDS unit in a Bronx hospital; and from The Big Apple Circus tent at Lincoln Center to the People’s Gymanasium in Tianjin, China, Jeffrey Gordon’s 36 year career as Clown Gordoon has taught him that shared laughter and delight is a celebration of being human.
The character and antic art of Clown as a purveyor of laughter has been handed down as a folk tradition and interdisciplinary study that can be practiced by people of all ages and backgrounds. Gordon will introduce the art of clowning through various circus skills, group movement techniques, costuming, makeup, props, and puppetry. He will also feature students’ already existing skills to invoke delight and laughter with the international language of physical comedy.
From initial ‘imagineering’ to a culminating performance, participants will become familiar with the historically classic routines and be encouraged to produce their own sketches. Teachers are assured of readily available curriculum connections to history, vocabulary, entertainment, theatre, creative processes, group dynamics, and expressive and communication arts.
