Clowning in China, by Joan Mankin

I've been in Nanjing for two and 1/2 half weeks now, teaching Western clowning and acting to Chinese acrobats (and a few magicians). The workshop itself is in Nanjing, but the acrobats are from troupes all over China: Beijing, Wu Han, Yin Chuan, An Hui, Tai Yuan. They were brought together by the Chinese Arts and Cultural organization to try and raise the level of comic acting in the acrobatic performances, and to encourage them to connect on a more personal level with their audiences.

China is going through a transformative phase now, letting go of some of the attachment to tradition and seeking out new artistic and performative channels. It's exciting to be in on this surge of interest in Western comedy forms. There are very few Westerners in Nanjing (a city of five and 1/2 million people) so I get stared at a lot (which I kind of like) and laughed at a lot (which I really like). I'm here with three other people from the Clown Conservatory at the San Francisco Circus Center, and we're all intrigued by the cultural differences and similarities. The students threw themselves with tremendous dexterity and gusto into every gag we ask them to do--running into walls, tripping, falling, slapping--but ask them to reveal something true and vital about themselves in front of other people, and they run into a different kind of wall.

We will do two performances at a College here in Nanjing in the middle of this month; I'm so excited to see how they take in what we have brought.

I miss eating salads sooo much. Best to all from Joan Mankin.