Clowning at Angkor Wat

Since I had a few days before starting my workshops at Phare Ponleu Selpak in Battambang, I decided to go see Angkor Wat, the enormous temple compound outside Siem Reap. A must for anyone going to Cambodia. There I took the opportunity to clown around with the poor children who run around the temples desperately selling trinkets to tourists. Along with me was Erin Nicholson with her hoolahoop (who had been working with children on a related project in Sangklaburi in Thailand).

'Mon', or "Mr. Cool", a natural.

When I first saw him, Mon was drawing in the sand.

'Mah', for whom we bought breakfast (rice and eggs, and banana),
or else she wouldn't eat. Which she then shared with her friends.

In the ancient days of Angkor Wat's heyday, they had circus too!

November 7, 2008

Crossing the border into Cambodia

November 4, 2008
I take the bus from Bangkok (northern Mo Chit station) to the Thai border town Aranya. From there me and my traveling companion pile into a little tuktuk with all our luggage (stilts, hoolahoop and all) to take us the rest of the way to the border. The tuktuk driver lets us off on the side of the road by a tent and we get approached by what are supposedly border officials. They insist the price is 1,000 Baht ($30) for the visa, although I had read that's a scam; the official price is $20. They claimed you only paid $20 if you got a visa in advance. Well, we had to get thru the border, so pay up!
Then we walk for a bit and cross a checkpoint, then walk again some more, through a Welcome to Cambodia huge stone gate, then another arrival checkpoint, past a bunch of casinos (the border is casino central). Then a bus to "bus station"to get taxi. Where they wanted to charge us 2000 Baht to go to Battambang. Ha ha ha, very funny, nice try but no cigar. I guess we looked like easy bait. We walked away. But here was the hairy part. We didn't have much of a bargaining point. This was no bus station. And there were no other taxis around that I could see. In fact there were no taxis -- what they suggested to be our taxi was just a regular car. Earning some extra cash? It was incredibly muddy all around! And how could I drag all my luggage through that? (Somehow I did.) How were we going to find another car to take us? We pretty much had to deal with what was there before us. "Ok, you go find something else, what do you know, never been to Cambodia," the guy says. "OK, we will!"... Finally, we get in the cab on the premise of paying 800B which was fair. Then, once car finally takes off, after some false starts and driving around here and there and changing driver twice and picking up two other people (Cambodian couple sharing the front seat) -- it was smooth sailing down the road to Battambang!

By the time we got there it was too late to go to Phare Ponleu Selpak (the school) or rather the taxi didn't know where it was and I didn't know either really and it was dark -- so we went to a hotel. The Royal Hotel, the cheapest room under the roof (5th floor walk-up) next to the kitchen for $3. By the end of the night, however, I managed to hook up with the folks at Phare and took a moto (motorcycle) -- with my huge stilt bag across my lap! (about 5 feet long), and another moto following with the other bag --- and dropped the bags off at the school.

Before I start the workshops Í'm taking the boat to Siam Reap to see Angkor Wat. After that, it's non-stop work until the end of December!

PHOTOS - Roi Et - Clowning with the kids

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A bit out of focus, but we're all in a daze from clowning around!

Gangsta clowns...!

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Making clown noses!

All photos Anna Zastrow except *** by Lizknoxpix

Roi Et - Clowning with the kids - Final day

Saturday October 25, 2008 -- 9-11 am - Open House
Family, neighbors, community get to come and see what we've been doing with the kids. I lead a sample 1/2 hour workshop, then Pat does his juggling class. We do goofy warm-up movement to music and then move into funny walk. Duuun dtalok! The kids have fun with that for a while. And then I introduce falling -- falling backwards (into the mat), and I combine it with bumping into each other and then falling down. Two clowns walking towards each other, accidentally bump into each other and fall down. Two older boys do it and everybody laughs. Classic clown slapstick silliness. Parents and other adults from the neighborhood are lined up along the railing watching what we're up to. They are smiling and look happy.

I wonder how much the kids are absorbing and how much they will use this, what we've been doing in clown workshop. Are they getting it? Does it make sense to them, are they liking it? Do they want to use it? Juggling and such is much more tangible and concrete of a skill to practice. What we are doing is a little more abstract. Conceptual. And then of course there is the embarrassment of looking like a fool. Here it is good to be funny. Tini tam dtalok dee!

The kids create little mini shows to present to us. They're divided into six groups and have to come up with a presentation on their own incorporating what they've learned over the past two weeks. What they come up with is incredible! Great choreography and formations, with some juggling and others doing acrobatics around them, for example in the image of a flower opening (backbends away from juggler who is standing in center). Mirroring cartwheels and partner acro positions. Some silly movement and mime. Yey! They are incorporating all the elements. And two girls especially do an extended little clown routine. Doing funny walks and meeting each other but get stuck to each other with their handshake and can't get loose and then fall down. Bumping into each other. And even doing the silly fake 'walking down the imaginary stairs' schtick Liz and I had played with. And everybody's laughing, so they can see it works -- people are laughing and it's good! I was excited and proud to see them use what we've been dong and play with it, making it their own. Woohoo!

In general I was very impressed with what all the groups came up with and in such a short time -- just a couple of hours. Creativity and imagination at play! In the end, beyond specific clown schtick and funny moves, I think my workshop has helped open the kids up expressively and creatively, stimulating their creativity and ideas and sense of play. And that is the ultimate goal. Mission accomplished.

The teachers report to me that the kids are very happy and love "teacher Anna." I'm glad. Because sometimes it's been hard to gage if they are actually enjoying what we are doing and getting something out of it, some holding back a lot or shy or too cool... But apparently they all do, no matter their varying degrees of showing it in class, since they all excitedly talk about it on their break -- and as evidenced by their little shows they came up with.

Roi Et - Clowning with the kids - Day 10

Last full day!
We continue what we've been doing. Mirroring, funny walks, partner acrobatics.
We also play with a 'duck duck goose' version with the honker (the horn). Liz sneaks around the circle with the horn until stop at someone, honking at him/her, and then Liz chases the kid around the circle honking. Ha! He lost his seat -- now he has to go around the circle and find someone to honk at. He picks Liz again and chases her around, but gets past her and sits down before she gets a chance. This the kids laugh at a lot. Ha ha, got the teacher!

October 24, 2008

Roi Et - Clowning with the kids - Day 8 and 9

The children are doing extremely well, the workshop is going extremely well! How great is that. All the kids so engaged and fully participating and playing. We start the class today and the kids have already arranged themselves in a circle, ready to go.

Funny, though, sometimes (some days) they're totally into it, and sometimes not. Today, with the older group, we do funny walks moving in silly ways, and they, however, were not having it. Normally, they're totally game.

We do mirror game: impromptu, as part of music and dancing decided to incorporate mirroring exercise, and had the kids do it with each other, in two's. Worked quite well! They understood the game without any verbal instruction and had fun with it. (Mirroring exercise= face each other and follow each other's movement, one lead and the other follow, but slowly as if moving simultaneously and you can't tell who the leader is.)

Duun dtalok! Funny walk. Explore further. And put together with juggling or acrobatics, for example a funny character doing a juggling routine. Liz and I demonstrate different walks contrasted to each other, for example: Liz moving hunched over in a slow rhythm with big arm and leg movement; then, in contrast, I do something where I'm straight and tall with small quick and jerky movements. Together we make a funny couple. The kids do it, and some really go for it. Playing with being funny. What's funny, what's making people laugh, what's fun and funny to do? Good! Then we do funny walk with a trip into a roll on the mat, putting together a little sequence.

We also introduce partner acrobatics. One person lying on ground with feet up and the other "flying" on the feet (lying horizontal across with hips on bottom person's feet). I've done this flying-on-belly position since I was a little kid, a classic one, but they seem to never have seen it before. Lots of ooh's and aah's. And we do another position with one person standing on the other's knees (both standing vertical and holding each other's arms and leaning back from each other, balancing). Everyone wants to go, especially (again) in the 2nd group -- girls calling my name and saying me me me! First group not as eager. I think they still want to try, but just more shy.

October 22 and 23

Roi Et - Clowning with the kids - Day 7

Great day. The first group so much more engaged and with it. We tried a "new" game (we had done it a little last week with tambourine): move and dance in all kinds of (funny) ways and when music that's being played stops, freeze in whatever position you're in. It worked well! They really got into it, dancing like crazy. Got them moving! In their own way. Having fun! Even got them to move all around the room (not staying in circle).

We start every class with passing a clap around the circle. And "boing!" And they initiate the "boing!" themselves. We don't have to tell them. They still think it's the funniest thing. Then do a little warm-up to music. Swinging and rotating shoulders, arms, legs. Shake it out (shake shake shake!). Play with contrast in movement in size and rhythm. Make yourself really big, reach up and out. Then small, teeny teeny ball, curled up. Then grow bigger and bigger and bigger! Big faces! Waaaah! Exaggerate facial expressions. Small face, scrunch scrunch, and then again, open wide eyes and mouth. Play with goofy faces. Tongue game -- out, side to side, up, in (controlled by pulling ear, etc.).

Then -- clown noses! -- and do funny movements, funny walks. And clown around with balls. Clown juggler. Drop ball and accidentally keep dropping it or kicking it away, fumbling like a fool. On purpose, of course! And practice tripping. Then practice an acrobatic roll into juggling into dropping and fumbling, then juggling again. Liz and I show. They laugh. The kids do it, and laugh. Funny -- great! Then practice a trip into an acrobatic roll into a juggling routine which turns into dropping and fumbling, then juggling again. Etc.

We also do 'rhythm orchestra' -- divide the circle into sections and each section do a specific rhythm and movement, and then all together.

October 21

Roi Et - Clowning with the kids - 2ND WEEK - Day 6

Day 6 (Monday, October 20, 2008)
Interesting the different dynamic of the different groups. First group less focus, and a bit less engaged and/or some much more shy. Have to really encourage them to play and do the exercises. Some girls do not want to do the acrobatics, even the simple rolls. They sit in the back. A few of them embarrassed that they can't do it well. Finally I take one mat over to them. Invite them to come participate. Coax them, take by hand. Friendly, jokingly, gently. Come! You can do it! And they come! Great. With a little coaxing they go ahead and do it and have fun with it, too. They just needed some individual attention and encouragement.

The second group (same age) is much more gung-ho, and when I bring out the stilts and ask who wants to try, all the hands shoot up, me me me!