Traditional Circus Clown Types
Traditionally, there are three basic types of clowns that appear in the circus: the whiteface, the auguste and the character. Nowadays a fourth type, the tramp or hobo clown, is often recognized separately, even though, technically, it should be considered as another character clown. Each of these types of clown may wear a makeup that is either neat (slightly exaggerated) or grotesque (wildly exaggerated).
There is no single, absolute definition of what constitutes each clown type, with international performers encompassing an extremely wide range of styles, from the classical to the innovative.
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