
clown performer,
teacher and
researcher



Jon Davison teaches in his home city of London and all around the world
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After two years when we weren't able to get together and share clowning in person, there are new in-person workshops coming up in 2022 around the world, in:
June: London
June: Potsdam, Germany
July: Brussels
September: Vancouver, NYC, Asheville and more
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One-Week Workshop in London
13th-17th June 2022
Time: 10am-5pm Monday-Friday
Venue: Limehouse Town Hall, 646 Commercial Road, London E14 7HA
Cost: £300
To book your place, email info@jondavison.net for details on how to enrol
Maximum: 16 participants
This workshop dives into the fundamental dynamics of clowning: what happens between us when we clown in front of others, alone or with others?
This workshop is concerned with laughter, and the unique relationship the clown performer has with it - when it is present and when it is absent. But it is not concerned directly with the question of HOW to be funny. Nor is it concerned with the question of WHY something is funny. These are not inane questions but they are dealt wit amply by others elsewhere.
Laughter is the fulcrum upon which clowning balances. Laughter does amazing things to us, physically, emotionally, spiritually, intellectually. Whilst we are immersed in it, it seems to relieve us of the burdens of norms, expectations and even meaning itself. What a relief!
But it is never under our control. To pursue such domination is a pointless task. But neither is it advisable to discard it, out of fear of not attaining it. Clowns who MUST be funny and clowns who DON’T HAVE to be funny are a turn off.
This workshop is mostly about relationships, between you and others, whether you or they are clowning or witnessing the clowning. The relationships form dynamically and change rapidly in real time, buffeted about by actions, responses, laughter, the absence of laughter, and our feelings about ourselves and others.
Converting our habitual fear of ridicule into the pleasure of laughing at ourselves, we can use it to make others laugh and experience the freedom clowning. How do clowns do what they do, how does your stupidity make you a success, and how does the unthinkably ridiculous come about?
When you really look, most things are ridiculous: our bodies, our movements, our ideas, our emotions, our words, our relationships, the universe. The only aim in clowning is to turn failure into success, fear into laughter, suffering into joy. We don’t need to change ourselves, just look at everything from another perspective. It’s a human thing to do, so anyone can do it.
Clowning is sometimes shrouded in mystery but in reality it's a very simple mode of performance. This workshop uses simple exercises rooted in laughter response in order to access clowning in the most direct manner possible.
One-Week Workshop
in Brussels
18th-22nd July 2022
Time: 10am-5pm Monday-Friday
Cost: €300
Venue: The Open Space, Chaussée de Vleurgat 15, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
To book your place, email info@jondavison.net for details on how to enrol
Maximum: 16 participants
Workshop taught in English
This workshop dives into the fundamental dynamics of clowning: what happens between us when we clown in front of others, alone or with others?
This workshop is concerned with laughter, and the unique relationship the clown performer has with it - when it is present and when it is absent. But it is not concerned directly with the question of HOW to be funny. Nor is it concerned with the question of WHY something is funny. These are not inane questions but they are dealt wit amply by others elsewhere.
Laughter is the fulcrum upon which clowning balances. Laughter does amazing things to us, physically, emotionally, spiritually, intellectually. Whilst we are immersed in it, it seems to relieve us of the burdens of norms, expectations and even meaning itself. What a relief!
But it is never under our control. To pursue such domination is a pointless task. But neither is it advisable to discard it, out of fear of not attaining it. Clowns who MUST be funny and clowns who DON’T HAVE to be funny are a turn off.
This workshop is mostly about relationships, between you and others, whether you or they are clowning or witnessing the clowning. The relationships form dynamically and change rapidly in real time, buffeted about by actions, responses, laughter, the absence of laughter, and our feelings about ourselves and others.
Converting our habitual fear of ridicule into the pleasure of laughing at ourselves, we can use it to make others laugh and experience the freedom clowning. How do clowns do what they do, how does your stupidity make you a success, and how does the unthinkably ridiculous come about?
When you really look, most things are ridiculous: our bodies, our movements, our ideas, our emotions, our words, our relationships, the universe. The only aim in clowning is to turn failure into success, fear into laughter, suffering into joy. We don’t need to change ourselves, just look at everything from another perspective. It’s a human thing to do, so anyone can do it.
Clowning is sometimes shrouded in mystery but in reality it's a very simple mode of performance. This workshop uses simple exercises rooted in laughter response in order to access clowning in the most direct manner possible

Four-Day Workshop
in Potsdam, Germany
20th-23rd June 2022
Time: 10am-5pm Monday-Thursday
Venue: Werkstatt für Clownforschung
Lennéstr. 74/75
14471 Potsdam
Full details: https://www.clownforschung.de/seite/573614/fundamental-dynamics-of-clowning-the-pleasure-of-laughter-jon-davison.html
Costs:
Early Bird Spaces 1-6 €300
Spaces 7-12 €360
Booking and more info:
tel. +49173/738254
About the workshop:
This workshop dives into the fundamental dynamics of clowning, how to make yourself and your friends look stupid so we will love and laugh at you.
Converting our habitual fear of ridicule into the pleasure of laughing at ourselves, we can use it to make others laugh and experience the freedom of the clown. How do clowns do what they do, how does your stupidity make you a success, and how does the unthinkably ridiculous come about?
When you really look, most things are ridiculous: our bodies, our movements, our ideas, our emotions, our words, our relationships, the universe. The only aim in clowning is to turn failure into success, fear into laughter, suffering into joy. We don’t need to change ourselves, just look at everything from another perspective. It’s a human thing to do, so anyone can do it.
Clowning is sometimes shrouded in mystery but in reality it's a very simple mode of performance. This workshop uses simple exercises rooted in laughter response in order to access clowning in the most direct manner possible.
What happens when you clown in front of others, alone or with others?
This workshop is mostly about relationships, between you and others, whether you or they are clowning or witnessing the clowning. The relationships form dynamically and change rapidly in real time, buffeted about by actions, responses, laughter, the absence of laughter, and our feelings about ourselves and others.
This workshop is concerned with laughter, and the unique relationship the clown performer has with it - when it is present and when it is absent. But it is not concerned directly with the question of HOW to be funny. Nor is it concerned with the question of WHY something is funny. These are not inane questions but they are dealt with amply by others elsewhere.
Laughter is the fulcrum upon which clowning balances. Laughter does amazing things to us, physically, emotionally, spiritually, intellectually. Whilst we are immersed in it, it seems to relieve us of the burdens of norms, expectations and even meaning itself. What a relief!
But it is never under our control. To pursue such domination is a pointless task. But neither is it advisable to discard it, out of fear of not attaining it. Clowns who MUST be funny and clowns who DON’T HAVE to be funny are a turn off.











