“I’ve only been with this company for four months,” says Balthazar, the clown whose animalistic antics highlight the Cirque du Soleil. “But I’ve been part of its spirit since the beginning.”
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“Twelve years ago, I was in college in Riviere du Loup, Quebec, studying to be a cultural organizer,” Balthazar recalls. “I happened to see a group of clowns. One of them was Guy Caron. I really enjoyed what I saw, and I decided to try and do the same.” Over the next few years, developed his style through street clowning and working private parties. Now, at 34, he says, “I’m known as an independent clown–I can work on my own or with a team.” When the Cirque du Soleil was putting together its 1989 international tour, Balthazar was available. “I’ve been on the road for four months,” he says, “and I dont expect to get home till 1990.”
“Each time it’s different,” Balthazar says later of the lion-tamer bit. “I try more and more to put the rhythm of the piece into the hands of the partner. Some circuses make you do a set routine; here I’ve been hired for myself, and the act is my own.”
