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Clowns sans frontiers
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Giullari Senza Frontiere, a 14-member street theatre group from Italy, performed on the outskirts of the city recently. The troupe uses clowning to convey their message of universal love and friendship.
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Giullari Senza Frontiere performing at the Little Flower School, Nemon.
Dressed in zebra stripe tights and armed with little metal boxes, they invade the village common. After drawing a crowd around them, unabashedly ferreting people out of shops, rickshaws and street corners, they begin their show -- an assortment of acrobatics, jugglery, clownery, dance and music -- you name it, they have it in their kitty.
They are the Giullari Senza Frontiere (Clowns without frontiers), a 14-member street theatre troupe from Italy. The troupe is currently staying at Satsang in Nemom.
Juggling for peace.
Having arrived in New Delhi two months ago, they are on the last leg of their Indian sojourn. Over the past one week, they have been conducting workshops and performing in suburban schools and orphanages such as the Little Flower School and the Hindu Mahila Mandiram.
Formed in 1996, the troupe uses the medium of clowning to convey their message of peace and friendship. "Clown language has an international appeal. It brings out the child in every one of us and instantly builds a bridge between two individuals, notwithstanding their diverse cultural backgrounds," explains Rodrigo Morganti, spokesman of the troupe and one of the main performers.
The artistes use their art more as a vehicle to carry their message against war than as a means of livelihood. They have carried their skills to the strife-ridden areas of the world such as Corsova, Mozambique, Bolivia, Columbia and Mexico. They also perform regularly at the oncology wards of hospitals in Italy.
A trip to Palestine is on the anvil.
"We want to restore people's faith in the good things of life. It is so easy to break into war and destroy one another, but to rebuild the harmony that existed before is very difficult. We want to contribute our mite to world peace," says Rodrigo.
From the villages of Bengal, to the crowded bathing ghats of Varanasi and the desert festival of Jaisalmer, this determined black and white (their chosen uniform, so as to "stand out against the riot of colours that make up India") army, have connected and communicated to an alien culture through clowning. Interaction and participation by the audience are the hallmark of their performances. Quizzed on how the response has been among the notoriously shy Malayalis, Rodrigo says, "Very good. Some people are like children -- basically shy. But once you find a way of entering their house, they assert themselves as masters and take command of you completely."
NARAYANI HARIGOVINDAN
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
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