楊兆澤校友：只想你快樂 ,Alumnus Yeung Siu-chak: Send in the clown

楊兆澤校友：只想你快樂

彩色的顏料塗繪出一張永遠在笑的趣怪臉孔，加一個紅鼻子；披上一身繽紛閃亮的衣飾，小丑哥哥就在眼前！當大小朋友都興奮地圍攏過來，小丑哥哥再來「殺手鐧」- 拋球、扭氣球，把大人小孩逗得樂透。這個小丑是二零零九年畢業於浸大體育學系的楊兆澤。卸下彩妝的臉仍然掛滿燦爛笑容的他說：「最開心是為別人帶來快樂。」
楊兆澤對小丑的著迷始於中學三年級。那一年，國際著名的太陽劇團(Cirque du Soleil)來港演出。團員華衣美服、表演神乎奇技，他一看就愛上，自此夢想成為其中一員，可以到世界各地巡迴演出。「因為不知道他們選拔團員的條件是什麼，於是我從自學拋球，到後來不停參加現代舞、芭蕾舞、雜耍、體操等各式各樣的課程，正是希望做好準備，令自己樣樣皆能，盼望有天會被選上。」他說罷大笑，現實是：「當然是發現自己的水平跟他們相差太遠，那些團員都是從幾歲開始接受訓練的！」

認真的小丑夢想「落空」，但他對小丑的熱愛有增無減。「中五暑假，我發電郵到不同製作公司，查詢是否可以學習做小丑，沒想到真的有人回覆。」自此正式學藝，學生時代更一直是兼職小丑。而一般人心目中，難免認為「小丑」是屬於玩票性質的工作。「我曾經也以為是。」楊兆澤不諱言。「但在浸大就讀的時候，選修了好幾門表演藝術、哲學和戲劇的課，忽然有所啟發，悟到只要視小丑是藝術家，我就能朝著一個藝術家的路進發。」於是，他大學畢業擔任中學代課老師半年後，便決心投放時間心血，專注發展小丑事業。

他坦言，如果只視小丑為賺錢的工作，進步到一個階段自然就會停下來。「反正很多客戶根本不太懂分辨我們的造詣如何，看見外型像一個小丑就是了。」然而，正因為自己有所要求，他不斷進修有關技巧。「因緣際遇下，我碰到一位西班牙老師，他令我『叮一聲』！發現原來小丑可以是這樣的。」他說，老師在傳授演繹技巧以外，更給予有關思考方法和哲學的訓練，大大擴闊了他對小丑的認知。老師本來一年來港一個月開班授徒，為了學習更多，與老師亦師亦友的他，甚至支付老師機票費用，請他專程來港教授。

快樂與憂愁對他來說，當小丑最大的滿足感，是令別人快樂。「有次表演完後，一位小朋友很喜歡我，問我：『哥哥可不可以帶你回家玩﹖』那一刻我真是心甜如蜜。」也有小朋友會抱著他不捨得放，或是被他逗得破涕為笑；沒料到的，是身邊朋友也受那種快樂感染。「我常把到處表演的照片放到Facebook，想不到很多朋友留言，說看到我做的事，覺得很Amazing(奇妙)，在分享我經驗的過程中，不期然也開心起來。」

但有過低潮和想放棄的時候嗎﹖「常常……。」沒想到他不假思索就回答。他說，很多時候獨自去到一個陌生的地方，上好妝走出來，人家就很興奮：「呵！原來你是小丑！」然後大家玩得興高采烈，完了，卸下妝扮變回普通人。「每次熱鬧過後，一個人收拾東西離去的孤寂感覺，到現在我還不算處理得很好。」特別是聖誕新年，眾人都在結伴狂歡，他感覺更強烈。「有句話是『A clown always goes home alone』，我總算體會到了。」他說。

繽紛的理想雖然有對人歡笑背人愁的時候，但楊兆澤說起他的目標和理想，神情的雀躍讓人相信他會堅持下去。「美式小丑著重娛樂，雜耍、高蹺、拋球和趣劇都要懂；歐洲式的小丑則以劇院舞台演出為主，不化妝，只戴上紅鼻子，透過細微動作引觀眾發笑。」他說有意試走歐洲式小丑的方向，但由於香港人仍不太接受劇院式的小丑表演，加上自己經驗尚淺，因此逐步嘗試在小型劇場演出。他充滿期望：「我現在水平還不夠，但只要我一直做，十年後我就有機會成為大師！」

此外，他嚮往西方國家地大物博，並視街頭藝人為美化城市的風景。「我希望三十歲前遊走澳洲、歐洲等地，在街頭作小丑表演。」他開玩笑：「香港太小太擠逼，在街上表演大概會被指『阻街』。」但說到當前最重要的目標，「我希望以小丑身份，到不同的醫院探訪，為病人表演，讓他們快樂一點。」他說。「幸運地這個小丑義工計劃已獲得一些有心人贊助，我正努力撰寫計劃書。」想到有機會實現把快樂帶給病人的理想，他臉上的笑容更見燦爛。

http://buenews.hkbu.edu.hk/tch/update/news.do?newsId=157

Alumnus Yeung Siu-chak: Send in the clown

With his painted smiling face, red nose and colourful costume, who can resist a clown? As people gather around him excitedly, this clown performs his most popular tricks – juggling and twisting balloons into lovely shapes – to cheers from adults and children alike. Meet Yeung Siu-chak, an alumnus from the Department of Physical Education (2009), whose smile stays on even once his make-up comes off. “My greatest joy comes from making people happy,” he says. Siu-chak’s passion for clowning was ignited in Form 3 when he watched a performance by the world-renowned company, Cirque du Soleil. Deeply attracted to the beautiful presentation and wonderful performance of the troupe, he began to dream of joining them on their world tour. “I wasn’t sure what kind of skills would be required so I taught myself juggling. I also joined various classes – from modern dance to ballet, juggling and gymnastics. I wanted to prepare myself well and hoped I could one day join Cirque.” He laughs and adds: “But, of course, finally I realised my ability is far below their standards and that their members started training at a very young age.

Dedication to clowningThough achieving his dream of joining Cirque du Soleil seemed unlikely, his passion for clowning was undiminished. “During the summer holidays in Form 5, I emailed some production houses to inquire about training programmes for people who want to be clowns. And I was surprised to get a reply.” After some training, he worked as a part-time clown when he was a student.


Like most people, Siu-chak initially didn’t view being a clown as a serious profession. “However, during my time at HKBU, I took quite a few elective courses on performing art, philosophy and drama. I was inspired by them and realised that if I regarded the clown as an artist, I could develop myself in this way.” Having worked as a substitute teacher in a secondary school for half a year after graduation, he made up his mind to become a professional clown.
He emphasises that if a clown only sees his job as a profit-making enterprise, he will stop seeking further development. “In fact, most of my clients don’t know a great clown from a good one. For them, all clowns are equal.” However, Siu-chak holds himself up to higher standards and so keeps updating his skill set. “I was deeply inspired by a Spanish clown I once met and began to learn from him. He inspired me to see clowning as a special vocation.” In addition to honing his performance skills, his teacher, who generally visits Hong Kong once a year for a month of classes, expanded his knowledge of clowning by including logical thinking as well as philosophy in his training. Siu-chak even pays for his teacher’s airfare so that he can benefit from his expertise.


Happiness and bitterness
Siu-chak says his greatest satisfaction comes from making people happy. “Once when I finished my performance, a kid asked me: ‘Can I take you home?’ It was the sweetest feeling.” Sometimes, children clutch onto him and are reluctant to let him go, and often he cheers up the wailing ones. He shares the magic of clowning with his friends by posting photos on Facebook. “Many of them leave me messages telling me they think what I’m doing is really amazing. They said my photos cheer them up too.”


Asked if he ever thinks about giving up, he answers without hesitation: “Yes, very often.” He shares that most of the time he goes to events on his own and once his make-up and costumes are on, people are excited to see him. But once the show is over, he has to go back to being an ordinary person again. “Coming back to reality after the high of clowning is very difficult for me. I pack my things myself and leave alone. Till today, I can’t handle these hard feelings well.” During festivals like Christmas and New Year these emotions are intensified. “Someone once said: ‘A clown always goes home alone.’ I now realise what this means.”
A clown’s dreamDespite this, it’s likely that Siu-chak will continue clowning going by the joy and excitement on his face when he talks about his aspirations. “Clowns in the American style are mainly entertainers who are adept at juggling, stilts, tossing, and farce while clowns in the European style put more emphasis on stage performance in a theatre setting. They may not use any make-up except for the red nose and make the audience laugh through slight body movements.”


He says he is now leaning towards the European style. However, as this form of performance has yet to catch on in Hong Kong and he has not gained enough experience, he plans to perform in small theatres first. “I know that I’m not up to standard now. But if I keep on performing, I might become a master in 10 years!”
“I wish I could travel to Australia and Europe before I am 30 years old and perform as a clown on the streets.” He longs for the atmosphere of Western countries where street performers are regarded as part of community culture. “Hong Kong is too small and crowded for me to perform on the street. I would be admonished for blocking the pavement.”
However, his biggest goal is to bring fun to those in hospital. “I want to visit hospitals as a clown and perform for the patients. I would like to make them happier. Fortunately, some people have been kind enough to sponsor this plan and I’m now writing a detailed proposal.” The possibility of this dream coming true brings an even brighter smile to this clown’s face.
http://buenews.hkbu.edu.hk/eng/update/news.do?newsId=157
Thank Liz~!!!