JOURNAL CULTURE
Send in the clowns Ringling Bros. circus back in Greenville with new production By CINDY LANDRUM | staff
When Dustin Portillo is at work, he’s always clowning around. But that doesn’t mean the 26-year-old doesn’t take his job seriously. Portillo is a “boss clown” with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus, which is bringing its new “Built to Amaze” production to Greenville’s BI-LO Center for nine shows starting Wednesday. “Built to Amaze” is in the beginning of a 90-city North American tour, a jaunt that will take more than 110 performers from 17 countries around the world and 95 exotic and domestic animals more than 30,000 miles over two years on the world’s longest privately owned train. The “Built to Amaze” show gives the audience a behind-the-scenes perspective on how the circus is built, right from unpacking the shipping carts. The circus, trademarked as The Greatest Show on Earth, features crowd favorites such as elephants, horses and tigers, acrobats, high-wire acts, the Wheel of Steel and a human cannonball. New are a comedic animal-presenting duo from Russia and the Tower Tumblers, a troupe of competitive aerial athletics from Ukraine. And, of course, there are clowns. Portillo has wanted to be a clown since he was 4 and attended a Ringling circus in his Missouri hometown. “It’s my childhood dream,” he said. He started clowning professionally when he was 13, graduated from high school six months early and started working as a clown at Six Flags. There, he learned physical comedy and classic clowning skills. A Ringling talent scout spotted him there. “It’s more than slapping on makeup and a wig and, hey, you’re funny,” Portillo said. “You really have to have comedic timing down and you’ve got to be able to react to the audience. Each audience is different. An audience in Greenville may think something is funny, but an audience in Florida may not.” Portillo said clowning is the world’s oldest art form – and, like art, each clown has his or her own “look.” Clowns even register their looks so no two will
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look exactly alike. “Our faces are what we use to tell our story to 15,000 people in an arena,” Portillo said. “Clown makeup is not a mask. It’s an extension of your personality.” Portillo recommends that parents bring their children to the All Access Pre-Show, a way for show-goers to see the performers up close one hour before showtime. “That can take some of the uneasiness away,” he said. Even more important, parents should avoid telling their children, “Now, don’t be scared,” when they see a clown. “That sends the message that they should be scared,” he said. “It sends the message that clowns are scary – and we’re not.” Contact Cindy Landrum at clandrum@communityjournals.com.
SO YOU KNOW
WHAT: “Built to Amaze” WHO: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus WHERE: BI-LO Center WHEN: Wednesday, Jan. 30 at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1 at 10 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2 at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 3 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. TICKETS: $15 to $90 plus Ticketmaster service charges and facility fees. Tickets available at Ticketmaster.com, the BI-LO Center ticket office or by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000. INFORMATION: www.ringling.com