16 Clown Skills for Your Career and Resume

Clowns are entertainers who use a variety of skills to perform for audiences. Clowns use physical comedy, juggling, magic and other skills to make people laugh. If you’re interested in becoming a clown, it’s important to understand what skills are necessary to succeed in this career.

Face Painting

Clowns often use face painting to entertain audiences. They can paint their own faces or apply makeup on others, which requires precision and attention to detail. Clowns also use this skill when creating other types of art for performances. For example, they might draw a picture with their body paint or create an abstract design using only their hands.

Juggling

Juggling is the ability to keep multiple objects in the air at once. Clowns use juggling skills when performing tricks with props like balls, clubs or rings. Juggling can also be used as a performance tool, such as when clowns juggle flaming torches during a circus act.

Juggling requires practice and patience, but it’s an important skill for any clown who performs physical comedy routines.

Creativity

Clowns are often expected to be creative and think of new ways to entertain their audience. This can include coming up with unique games, activities or routines that will keep the crowd engaged and laughing throughout the entire event. Being able to come up with fun ideas for your show is a great skill for a clown to have. It’s also important to know how to adapt when something doesn’t go as planned. Clowns who are creative may find it easier to improvise during an act if needed.

Public Speaking

Public speaking is the ability to communicate effectively in front of an audience. Clowns often perform for large crowds, so public speaking skills are important for them to have. Public speaking can help a clown feel more comfortable performing and interacting with their audience members. It’s also helpful for a clown to know how to keep their audience engaged and entertained through their speech.

Patience

Patience is a skill that can help you as a clown. You may need to wait for the right moment to make your audience laugh or when it’s time to perform an action. It’s also important to be patient with children who might not understand why you’re dressed up like this or what you’re doing. Being patient can help you explain things in a way they can understand and keep them engaged.

Stilt Walking

Stilt walking is a skill that many clowns develop to perform in their acts. It’s important for them to be able to walk on stilts so they can interact with the audience and other performers. Learning how to balance on stilts takes practice, but it’s an essential skill for any clown who performs in large venues or outdoor spaces.

Flexibility

Flexibility is the ability to adapt to changing circumstances. Clowns often work with unpredictable audiences, so it’s important for them to be flexible and willing to change their routine if necessary. For example, a clown might have an act that involves juggling flaming torches, but if they realize that there are safety concerns about this act, they can modify it or find another way to entertain their audience.

Interpersonal Skills

Clowns often work with a variety of people, including children and adults. They must be able to communicate effectively with these individuals in order to provide them with the best experience possible. This includes being friendly, polite and professional when interacting with others. It also means knowing how to handle different situations that may arise while working with someone else.

Fire Eating

Fire eating is a skill that many clowns use in their performances. It’s important to practice fire eating safely and responsibly, as it can be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. You may want to take classes on how to eat fire or find other resources online to learn the proper techniques for this skill.

Balloon Animals

A clown’s ability to make balloon animals is a useful skill that can help them entertain children at parties and events. Learning how to make different types of balloons, such as dogs or fish, can be entertaining for audiences. Clowns may also use their skills with balloons to create props for their routines.

Physical Comedy

Physical comedy is the ability to use body language and movement to create humor. Clowns often rely on physical comedy to entertain audiences, so it’s important for them to be skilled in this area. Physical comedy can include actions like pretending to trip or fall, using exaggerated facial expressions and making silly gestures with their hands.

Physical comedy also includes clowning skills such as juggling, balancing objects on their bodies and performing acrobatics. These skills are useful when entertaining an audience because they allow a clown to perform unique tricks that may surprise people and make them laugh.

Clowning

Clowning is the ability to use humor and silliness in entertaining ways. Clowns often perform silly acts, like juggling objects or making funny faces, to entertain their audience. They also use props, costumes and other tools to create a fun atmosphere for their audience.

Clowns can practice their clowning skills by watching other clowns perform and trying out new techniques themselves. Many clowns develop their own unique style of clowning that helps them stand out from other performers.

Physical Stamina

Physical stamina is the ability to maintain a high level of activity for an extended period. Clowns often perform physically demanding routines, such as juggling and acrobatics, for long periods of time. Physical stamina can help you stay focused on your performance and prevent fatigue from affecting your skills.

Magic Tricks

Magic tricks are a great way for clowns to entertain their audience. They can use magic tricks to make objects appear or disappear, change the appearance of an object and perform other feats that amaze people. Learning how to do magic is also a good way for a clown to practice their concentration skills because they need to focus on what they’re doing in order to pull off the trick successfully.

Acrobatics

Acrobatics is the ability to perform physical feats that are difficult or impossible for most people. Clowns often use acrobatics in their performances, such as balancing on a tightrope or climbing up and down a ladder. Acrobatics can also be used during games with children, where clowns might balance on one foot while standing on a chair or climb up a rope suspended from the ceiling.

Unicycling

Unicycling is a skill that clowns can use to entertain audiences. Clowns often perform tricks on unicycles, such as juggling while riding one or balancing objects on the pedals of their cycles. This skill requires balance and coordination, which are important for any job in entertainment.

Clowns also use unicycles to travel around an event site. They may ride them through crowds of people or perform stunts with them.

How Can I Learn These Clown Skills?

There are a few ways that you can learn the clown skills mentioned above. You can take classes from a local clown school or workshop, you can watch videos or read books on the subject, or you can practice on your own.

If you want to take classes, a quick Google search will reveal a variety of options in most areas. Clown schools will usually offer a variety of classes covering different skills, so you can pick and choose which ones you want to learn.

If you prefer to learn on your own, there are plenty of resources available online and in libraries. You can find videos demonstrating various clowning skills on sites like YouTube, and there are also books available on the subject.

Practicing on your own is also a great way to learn. You can start by practicing simple things like face painting and juggling, and then move on to more complex skills like fire eating and acrobatics. It’s important to be patient when learning new skills, and to always practice in a safe environment.