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Elaine Yau

Leung Kin-wing, 27, Clown

Young Post How did you become a professional clown?

Leung I have always loved performing.  When I was in Form Three, the friar at my school taught me juggling and I  fell in love with it. When I finished Form Five, I joined a summer course at Ocean Park's Clown College. Then I started performing at shopping malls, birthday parties, street festivals, parades and social centres.

YP   Where's your favourite place to perform?

Leung I love performing at children's birthday parties. Performing tricks, playing games  and spicing up their parties make me happy.

Stage performances  are another favourite.  A clown has to  come up with tricks and gags to hold the audience's attention. Local audiences  have a very short attention span. They leave the  show as soon as they find  it boring. Holding their attention is very challenging.

YP  How do you capture the audience's attention?

Leung Variety is the key. You have to keep adding new elements to your performance - magic tricks, juggling acts, gags and mime shows,  and so on. Hamming it up in front of the crowds is another trick ... Communicating with your audience is also important. You have to adjust your performance in response to their reaction to  the gags.

YP How many shows do you do  each month?

Leung I do an average of 10 shows  a month. Depending on the duration and scale of the performance, I can  earn HK$1,000-3,000  per show. I have just returned from the opening of the much-hyped Venetian Casino Resort in Macau.  I performed at the main entrance of the casino. It was an unforgettable experience.

YP How many professional clowns are there in Hong Kong?

Leung  About 40  or 50. However, many of them have brought a bad name to the industry.  They put on poor quality shows with straggly wigs, uninspiring gags and poor make-up. Charging  less than the market rate, they also hurt our business.

YP Do you think Hong Kong

is a  good place for clowns to develop their career?

Leung No. Compared to western countries, the local industry is  still in its early stages ...  The flagging local industry has much to do with the lack of street performance culture in Hong Kong.

With a rich tradition  of performing arts, western countries  devote a lot of resources to nurturing talent. Buskers and mime artists are often seen performing on the streets.

Passers-by  are  more likely to stop  and watch.

YP What are your future plans?

Leung I am working on a book about clowns. It will be filled with pictures,  and  teach readers juggling tricks, clowning tips and the secrets to engaging the audience.

I will also share my experiences  of  the industry.  I'm looking for a publisher now and plan to get it out before the end of the year.



A real funny business