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CLOWN

And the clown, what is it?

O  naive laughter in the face of life's inevitable setbacks disarms us, makes us human. Enchanted laughter in the face of the universe that is created out of nothing, shared imagination, makes us poetry. The moved laughter, which – stubbornly – sees life despite death, makes us wiser. Yellow laughter, perplexed, in the face of human misery, provokes us and calls for our action. The acidic laugh of derision against those who exploit us forges a group, resistance. There are many laughs that I pursue in this craft - so ancient and current - of showing that the king, and all of us, are naked: being a clown. The clown of our times, in my view, is the clown-tramp, half buffoon, half innocent, surviving on the scraps of humanity, reminding us that we are all human, even though this modern crown - money - makes us believe that we are more than anyone. Get to know a little of my clumsy work, or rather, my “trapalhos”, and my path full of setbacks!

Perspectiva

Laughter Workshop

Here , some of the works that I can develop from my dealings with humor:  

  • introductory clown workshops/courses

  • workshops/improv/impro/sport theater

  • construction of dramaturgy and text for shows

  • creativity and spontaneity workshops/courses

  • communication and expression workshops/courses

​​

My scenic resume: 

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Oficina
Trajetória

The clown path - blunders and stumbling blocks

2000

2002-2004

2005

2005-2011

2011

2012

2013

2014

2013-2015

2015

2016

2018

2018-2019

2019

2020

2021

at the present moment

Since childhood, I had a very powerful imagination, the kind of creating intergalactic wars on the way to school. At the same time, I was very withdrawn, feeling outside the established standards, identifying myself with unreasonable figures, such as Didi Mocó (from Trapalhões) and Carlitos (from Charles Chaplin). All this internal "madness" only found form at university, when I took the courage to take my first clown course with master João Mendes... a new horizon opened up for me and Magrólhos saw the world for the first time!

Palhaço Magrólhos, de Jeff Vasques, novinho, em festa da Moradia Estudantil da Unicamp
Folder do grupo Libertadores do Riso com Jeff Vasques, palhaço Magrólhos

João Mendes, my first master clown, invites me to work in the group "Libertadores do Riso", visiting public hospitals in Campinas and the region. This first work deeply impacts me, and reinforces, for me, the social role of this figure, his power to lower the masks and allow us to see ourselves as more human. In the image of our folder, on the side, Magrólhos is wearing a polka dot shirt.

Together with João Mendes, I develop the art-education course "Looking for the senses" for public school teachers in Campinas, mixing clowns and children's literature. And, with other friends, we developed the "Sarau" project, to encourage reading and writing, aimed at EJA (Youth and Adult Education)

Cartaz do curso "Procura-se os sentidos" ministrados por Jeff Vasques e João Mendes

I carry out two more in-depth courses with the clown master Ana Elvira Wuo.

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Magrólhos (Jeff Vasques) em foto do jornal do DCE-Unicamp

Magrólhos already comes into the world carrying a certain innate rebellion, participating in various political demonstrations, as in the photos below: in the first, on the left, he leads the student movement march, taking a pineapple to be peeled by the pro-rector (click on the photo to enlarge it!), and, in the photo on the right, participates in the children's day celebrations in the former Mogiano occupation. Here, on the side, Magrólhos allowed himself to be clicked wearing only a frying pan for Unicamp's DCE newspaper.

Palhaço Magrólhos (Jeff Vasques) liderando a manifestação
Magrólhos (Jeff Vasques) corre com uma criança na antiga Ocupação Mogiana

Also during this period, I taught a clown course for young people from the Landless Movement (MST) and one of the participants, who never cracked a smile, left a deep impression on me by handing me a letter at the end of the course (click here, to the side, to enlarge it). From his letter, Skinny was sure what a clown he wanted to be in the world... and in which direction his red nose would point! 

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Magrólhos (Jeff Vasques) tocando uma sanfona

During these early years, Magrólhos and I immersed ourselves in several dance and music courses, being the very special course "A arte do Brincante", carried out by Antônio Nóbrega and Rosane Almeida, in which we got closer to popular culture, toys and clowns. popular, link that marks our path in the clown to this day.

Skinny hibernates for a few years. This happened because of my  deep and intense political activism that, at the time, did not allow me to continue with my artistic activities. It was an important period for my general education, but today I no longer see my activism or my art as being separate. Go together, arm in arm.

Magrólhos (Jeff Vasques) mergulhado numa lixeira
Magrólhos (Jeff Vasques) atuando em "Luna de Tango"

Performance in the show "Luna de Tango", which addresses the popular culture of Argentina.

Jeff Vasques aturando em "O homem da cabeça de papelão"

Construction and performance in the show "The man with the cardboard head"

Construction and performance in the show "Practical guide on how to deal with adults"

Magrólhos (Jeff Vasques) atuando em "Guia prático de como lidar com adultos"
Magrólhos (Jeff Vasques) atuando em "Funeral Clown"

Construction and performance in the show "From powder to poporopó: Funeral Clown"

Capitão Vinagre (Jeff Vasques)

During the massive demonstrations that took to the streets in 2013, Captain Vinagre appears, who with his humorous and vinagrist super-powers kept everyone safe and sound from the tearful effects of sadness and the thrown gases.

During this period, I participated in several clown/improv courses with national and international masters: Ésio Magalhães (Brazil); Tiche Viana (Brazil); Luciane Olendzki (Brazil); Chacovachi (Argentina); Estela Huergo (Argentina); Eric Le Bont (Spain)

Turma do curso com o mestre palhaço Eric Le Bont
Magrólhos (Jeff Vasques) contracenando com Joeber

I ministered, in partnership with Centro Pop de Campinas, clown workshops for the homeless population, participating with scenes in the acts organized by this population against the violence received in the streets. In the picture, Seu Joeber and I playing in the square.

From the stories collected in the workshops with the homeless population,  the "Circo da Miséria: the greatest spectacle on Earth", in which Magrólhos, as a clown-tramp, sets up his circus of survival in front of his disrespectful public. This "disappointment" was selected by the FICC 2014/2015 public notice (Campinas).

Capa do livro "Manual e guia do palhaço de rua" de Chacovachi (traduzido por Jeff Vasques)

Translation and publication of the book "Manual and guide of the street clown" by the Argentine clown master Chacovachi

I start the project of turning, taking my art across the Americas, living in my kombosa, Poderosa Dulcinéia. To the side, the project appears on the cover of the main newspaper in Campinas. 

Capa do Correio Popular/Campinas com matéria sobre o giro de Jeff Vasques pela América

Circo da Miséria is presented outside Brazil, in public schools, festivals and cultural spaces. Below are 3 photos of special moments: presentation at a public school in the outskirts of Montevideo; improvised scene at the Rosário-Argentina Circus Festival, on the eve of Brazil's presidential elections (the scene received a standing ovation and applause!); presentation at the Museo del Hambre in Buenos Aires.

Apresentação do Circo da Miséria em escola pública de Montevideu
Apresentação do Circo da Miséria no Festival de Circo de Rosário
Apresentação do Circo da Miséria no Museo del Hambre (foto de Henderson Moret)

During this period, I take training courses inside and outside Brazil: Máscara Neutra with Marcelo Savignone (Argentina); Clown and physical theater with Lucia Snitcofsky (Argentina); and buffoon courses, as you can see in the photo to the side, with Bruno Guida and Daniela Biancardi.

Jeff Vasques caracterizado como bufão
Cartaz da circulação do Circo da Miséria de Jeff Vasques

Circo da Miséria is selected by the PROAC/2019 public notice to circulate through 20 cities in the interior of the state of São Paulo, also holding the workshop "Misery and the vagabond clown"

Minister course on Improvisation and Creativity at Univ. State of Campinas (UNICAMP). 

Selected as an alternate in the PROAC 2021 public notice in the Circus category, with a project for a new show.

Screenshot 2021-10-26 at 13-41-55 Jeff Vasques ( jeffvasques_eupassarinho) • Fotos e vídeo

Working on a new solo show to be released in 2022!

Magrólhos (Jeff Vasques) em "Circo da Miséria"
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