COMBAT CIRCUS SUMMER INTENSIVE 2020

Why is this training course different to any other combat, clowning or slapstick course?

This is my aphorism: if you play with physical comedy, then you should expect to get a bump or bruise. You are misleading yourself if you think that you can get involved in a knockabout scene and not get hurt at some point.  This is where serious, diligent, disciplined and meticulous training comes in and that is what this course offers.

• Situational awareness across variables that can undermine safety
• Preparedness for when accidents happen
• Foresight to get ahead of injuries
• Respect for the art forms

Aim of the Course

The aim of the course is to furnish participants with the fundamental skills to approach combat, slapstick and clowning with a holistic attitude. Participants will be able to throw themselves into a physical comedy performance with physical and mental confidence. This troika of abilities speaks directly to the traditional knockabout skills that the Three Stooges, Charlie Chaplin, Lucile Ball, Harold  Lloyd and Buster Keaton were all masters of hard hitting physical comedy.

Goals of the Course (ie: how to achieve the Aim!)

My goal is to anchor participants in a process driven approach that will allow them to develop deeper learning and stimulate their curiosity. The training course offers the individual an opportunity to make substantial self-discoveries by delicately placing them in difficult and complex learning environments.  The Certificate of Completion in Clown Stunt Grading: Level 1 (Yellow Belt Nose) will equip participants with the fundamentals in combative knowledge, physical comedy and an entry point into the world of clown in a performative setting. These are traditional skills taught in a progressive way.

Course Priorities

• Participants’ safety & development
• Pedagogical rigour
• Group cohesion
• Tradition

Course Outline

The 5 day course is both demanding and enlightening. During the course you will be exposed to and assessed in:

Combative Arts – Knife, Sword and Unarmed

Physical Comedy Stunts – Falling, Tumbling, Prop Manipulation and Hard-hitting Knockabout.

Clowning – Failure, Naivety, Stupidity, Vulnerability, Pleasure & Discovery

Daily Guide Only

Convene. Prepare and clean working space.

Breathing & warm up

Calisthenics & gross motor skills work

Footwork and fundamentals

Morning tea

Skills (Combat/Slapstick or Clowning)

Lunch

 Skills continued (Combat/Slapstick or Clowning)

Power nap and afternoon tea

Application of skills acquisition

Warm down and release from space