The artists who defined an art form.
Every art form has its giants. These are the performers who took the clown from the circus ring to the world stage — and in doing so, created the language of what Nouveau Clown is today.
The Founder
Jango Edwards (1950–2023)
Born in Detroit, Jango Edwards is the internationally recognized founder of Nouveau Clown. He coined the term, developed its first theoretical framework, and organized the Festival of Fools in Amsterdam (1975) — the event that gave birth to the movement as an organized discipline. He later moved to Barcelona, where in 2009 he founded the Nouveau Clown Institute (NCI) in Granollers, Catalonia, the first school dedicated entirely to the form. Edwards was the movement’s founding theorist until his death in 2023.
“Nouveau Clown is not what you do. It’s what you are.”
Jango Edwards
The Pioneers of Silent Comedy
Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977)
The Little Tramp. The most recognized human figure in cinema history. Chaplin transformed the clown into a poet, a social critic, a mirror of humanity. His comedy spoke about poverty, injustice, and loneliness — without a single word of dialogue. Every time a clown finds laughter in failure, it echoes Chaplin.
“Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot.”
Charlie Chaplin
Buster Keaton (1895–1966)
The Great Stone Face. Keaton never smiled on screen — and yet generated extraordinary laughter. His body was an instrument of absolute precision; his comedy lived in physics, in the impossible relationship between a man and a chaotic world. He proved that stillness, silence, and total physical commitment are more powerful than any punchline.
The Precursors
Max Linder (1883–1925)
French silent film comedian considered one of the founding fathers of screen comedy. Chaplin himself acknowledged Linder as his primary inspiration — “the master from whom I learned everything.” His persona combined elegance, absurdity, and impeccable physical timing, establishing the template for the poetic comic figure that defines Nouveau Clown.
Leonid Yengibarov (1935–1972)
Soviet clown of Armenian origin, winner of the 1964 Prague Clown Prize. His performances were entirely silent — built on physical expressiveness and poetry, with a profound melancholic quality. He was nicknamed “the clown with autumn in his heart.” One of the most important precursors of the Nouveau Clown, proof that this language transcends every culture and border.
Dimitri (1935–2022)
Swiss artist Dimitri Müller trained in Paris with Étienne Decroux and Marcel Marceau, then with Charlie Rivel. In 1975 he founded the Scuola Teatro Dimitri in Verscio, Canton Ticino — one of the first schools in Europe dedicated to gesture and theatrical clown. A direct precursor of the Nouveau Clown’s pedagogical tradition.
The Contemporary Masters
Jacques Lecoq (1921–1999)
French pedagogue, creator of the “personal clown” concept and the Seven Levels of Tension theory. His school in Paris transformed the way the world trains physical theater performers. The intellectual architect of the contemporary clown.
Philippe Gaulier
The most influential living teacher of clown and physical comedy. His school near Paris has trained artists from every corner of the world. Gaulier’s philosophy: the clown must play, must be surprised, must never be serious about being funny.
David Shiner
American clown, former Cirque du Soleil star, Broadway performer. Shiner’s ability to improvise entire scenes with audience members — entirely without words — is legendary. He has appeared at the FINC Festival, bringing his incomparable energy to Sicily.
Paolo Nani
Italian-born, internationally acclaimed. Paolo Nani’s show “La Lettera” has been performed thousands of times in over 60 countries. Pure Nouveau Clown: no words, pure presence, infinite laughter. One of the most precise physical comedy artists in the world.
Dandy Danno & Diva G
Italian pioneers of Nouveau Clown and founders of the FINC Festival. Named among the 100 funniest performers in the world in 2015, Daniele Segalin and Graziana Parisi have redefined clown comedy — never vulgar, always poetic and overwhelming. Authors of the Nouveau Clown Manifesto, they have brought this art form to stages across more than 40 countries, collaborating with the Italian Ministry of Culture and the French Scènes Nationales network.
Avner the Eccentric
American master of physical comedy and one of the most celebrated solo clown performers in the world. Avner Eisenberg’s show “Exceptions to Gravity” has toured internationally for decades. His technique — rooted in presence, vulnerability, and meticulous craft — is a benchmark of the Nouveau Clown tradition.
Peter Shub
American-born clown and physical comedian who has performed and taught across four continents. A regular at major international clown festivals, Shub brings together slapstick precision, improvisational daring, and a deeply human stage presence — a perfect embodiment of the Nouveau Clown spirit.
Dandy Danno & DivaG Italian Pioneers
The Italian Pioneers of Nouveau Clown
Daniele Segalin (Dandy Danno) and Graziana Parisi (Diva G) are Italy’s leading pioneers of the Nouveau Clown — artists who have carried the form across Europe, Latin America, Asia, and beyond for decades, establishing one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary wordless comedy.
In 2015, they were recognized among the 100 funniest comedians in the world. Daniele Segalin is the author of the Manifesto del Nouveau Clown (ISBN 9798270302948) — the primary theoretical text on the discipline. In 2022 they founded the FINC Festival in Sicily, recognized by the Italian Ministry of Culture and in collaboration with the French Scène Nationale. In 2026 they launched Clownpedia.com, the world’s first clown encyclopedia and the project leading the UNESCO candidacy for Nouveau Clown as intangible cultural heritage.
“We don’t make people laugh. We remind them that they already know how to.”
Dandy Danno & Diva G
Through Theatre DeGart, their cultural company in Giardini Naxos, Sicily, they train new generations of performers, develop cultural projects, and collaborate with the Italian Ministry of Culture and major international institutions.
Continue Exploring
What is Nouveau Clown?
Discover the values, the rules, and the philosophy of this universal art form.
The History
From ancient Egypt to the Festival of Fools — 4,000 years of the world’s most human art form.
FINC Festival
The International Nouveau Clown Festival in Sicily — where these masters meet every year.
The Italian Pioneers
Dandy Danno & Diva G
Among the first to bring Nouveau Clown to Italy, founders of the FINC Festival, and authors of the first Italian Manifesto of Nouveau Clown. Ranked among the 100 funniest comedians in the world in 2015.