A clown of many talents
Mr Clown’ (real name: Sean Justin Kvalsvig) was among one of the first people to get his hands on a copy of The Village NEWS on the delivery day last Wednesday.
“I read the newspaper every week,” chuckled the ‘living statue’, who can be found in front of the Hermanus Pharmacy in Main Road on weekday mornings, and at the Village Square on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from about 13:30 – 20:00.
Sean, who is also a fire performer, balloon sculptor and tarot card reader, says he “ran away from home and joined a circus” when he was 17. The circus in question was the Back Door Initiative (BDI) – no animals involved – and it’s where Sean learnt all manner of skills, from clowning to fire-eating.
He’s been performing at arts festivals throughout the country for many years but is now happily based in Hermanus. Being a living statue means that you have to be able to remain ‘frozen’ for up to 40 minutes, but Sean says modelling for an art school in Johannesburg provided good training for the job.
As Mr Clown his only wish is to amuse people – “Laughter is the best medicine” – and during the season he will also be entertaining people with his fire show at the Hermanus Country Market on Wednesday evenings.