Clowning glory — Circus performer finds endless joy in putting smiles on faces

That's no accident, says Ben Bolin, who has been a clown with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus for just over a year. Being a clown is all about entertaining, about helping people have a good time.

Though Bolin is fairly new to the occupation, he can't think of anything else he'd rather do.

"This is it. This is me. I'm in it for life," the 24-year-old says.

The first time he put on a clown costume, he fell in love. "I like the freedom I have to explore who I am. I love to connect with the audience and bring them into the show. It's just me."

Yes, there are challenges. "You have to be fluid. You have to respond to what the audience does. It's never the same audience twice. But we don't want them to think they are out there watching TV. They are part of the show."

Unlike some, Bolin did not grow up with dreams of running away to join the circus. Where he lived in Oregon, "we didn't have a circus." But one came to town, and Bolin got a job working behind the scenes, setting up tents and doing the rigging. "The first circus I ever saw was the one I worked at. One of the clowns took me under his wing, told me how much fun it was to be a clown. He also told me the best place in the world to be a clown is with the Ringling Bros."

Bolin came up with a look, put together some photos and a resume, tried out — and here he is. "It just kind of happened. I've always been fascinated by performers, and I love being one. I've found the place to be myself."

The Ringling/Barnum circus has 15 clowns — 12 who occupy what is known as Clown Alley, and one headliner, who has his own support team.

Clowns are one of the most popular and endearing of circus acts — a tradition that stretches back to the 18th century and beyond. If you count court jesters and such, clowns have been with us since the days of the Pharaohs. But the first actual circus clown appeared in England in the mid-1700s.

Bolin enjoys continuing that tradition. His character follows what is known as the Auguste style, as opposed to the common Whiteface mode. Auguste clowns are fools or jokers who have a hard time following directions — which can lead to funny situations. "I fall down a lot," he says. "Clowning can actually be strenuous work."

The transformation from human to clown is actually a fairly smooth process, he says. He does his own makeup — and, as you might expect, the "longer you do it, the shorter a time it takes. It used to take me about a half hour. Now, after about 800 shows, I think I could do it in five minutes if I had to."

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