Yvinson Acero - BiBi
Yvinson Acero loves what he does, and brings joy and spontaneity to his animated clown character in Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® presents ZING ZANG ZOOMSM.
The third generation of his family to perform in the circus, Yvinson, a native of Colombia who grew up in Brazil, never considered another career path. Though just 19, he’s already an accomplished juggler and entertainer whose credits include a stint with the Garcia Circus of Brazil. He joined Ringling Bros. in 2005 and quickly became an integral part of The Greatest Show On Earth®.
Known to his friends as “BiBi,” Yvinson considers Ringling Bros. his family. He enjoys traveling on the train and visiting new sites. He also looks forward to sampling the local cuisine as the tour travels the country entertaining Children of All Ages.
Yvinson’s upbringing instilled in him a love of tennis and soccer, games he enjoys watching and playing when time permits. His favorite soccer teams are Sao Paulo of Brazil and Real Madrid of Spain.
Asked if he could share a word of wisdom, this clown answers simply: “Si”
Eric Allen
Eric Allen was the “class clown” of his high school graduating class in Shelburne, Mass., and is now a professional clown for the 139th Edition of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey®presents ZING ZANG ZOOMSM.
Growing up, Eric wanted to be a stuntman. When his grandmother took him to see the Buster Keaton silent movie, The Navigator, he came home and started practicing flips on the couch. Not surprisingly, today his clown character is famous for funny flips and falls.
Eric got smitten by the circus arts at 14 when he attended the Circus Smirkus summer camp for teens in Vermont. Later, he refined his skills at the New England School of Circus Arts, before touring with Circus Smirkus the last three summers.
His first professional job came with Nimble Arts, a circus vaudeville show. “I was Cupid.”
Always clowning around, Eric says that if he could trade jobs with any circus performer, it would be one of the dogs. “They get treats.”
In his spare time, he is expanding his repertoire of circus skills, including the aerial straps and Chinese pole balancing. He's a big fan of the late Gene Wilder and loves the television program Arrested Development. He’s also excited about visiting the West Coast for the first time.
Larry Clark Jr. – All Access Pre-show Host/Dean of Clown College
Larry Clark Jr.’s obsession with the circus began at an early age. He started juggling at 8, and as a teenager, he would travel from his hometown of Memphis to cities such as Little Rock and Birmingham to catch that season's edition of The Greatest Show On Earth®. At 15, he saw the 122nd Edition more than two dozen times in six different cities.
As Larry perfected his juggling skills, he began touring the world with various circuses. He has performed in all 50 states and on five continents, as well as before numerous celebrities and heads of state, including former President George W. Bush. His most unusual feat was a performance with Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails, where he juggled three running chainsaws and balanced a running lawnmower on his chin.
His extensive television credits include appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Oprah, America's Got Talent and the daytime drama As the World Turns. Larry also has had several movie roles, including in The Firm, which starred Tom Cruise and was filmed in Memphis. In 2009, Larrywill be seen in Nothing But the Truth starring David Schwimmer, Alan Alda and Angela Bassett.
This is Clark’s fourth tour with Ringling Bros.® and he couldn’t be more excited to be touring again with his peers, traveling to new cities every week, and doing what he has always dreamt about - clowning. Clark even named his daughter Addison Bailey Clark, in honor of James A. Bailey, the founder of Bailey Circus
Asked for a snippet of wisdom, Larry quotes Fred Wynn: “Comedy is not opening a funny door, it is opening a door funny!”
Brandon Foster
Growing up in Plano, Texas, Brandon Foster asked his parents to take him to The Greatest Show On Earth® every year so that he could see the clowns. “It took me forever to figure out why my favorite clowns only came every other year. Then I learned there were two units.”
Back for his third year with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey®, Brandon knew early on what he wanted to do for a living. Prior to joining Ringling Bros., Brandon attended and graduated from Texas A&M University in 2005 with a degree in marketing. While there, he won the university’s big award for Aggie school spirit.
Brandon says his accident-prone clown character is inspired by the Disney character, Goofy. “I look up to Goofy because he’s goofy.” The character is a natural fit, he says. “I have had stitches in my head on nine different occasions. I told you I’m accident prone.” Still, he has prepared for the physically demanding job by practicing Tae Kwon Do for 13 years.
In his spare time, Brandon, says he enjoys experimenting “with my homemade chocolate milk recipe.”
As for a snippet of wisdom, he offers this: “Life is drama, what it needs is a little comedy.”
Book Kennison
Book Kennison is a gifted performer from St. Charles, Missouri, who combines juggling, contortion and clowning into what he calls “Twisted Juggling.”
This tall, lanky clown can extend his arms behind his back far enough to juggle on the other side, making for a truly arresting visual display.
Book was coached by his father, an event planner, chess teacher, juggling coach and owner of a pinball arcade. “He taught me to juggle when I was little, helped create and coach my juggling acts, and is responsible for my interest in juggling, circus and clowning.”
At 6, Book could juggle three balls. By 9, he had mastered five balls, the line that separates a hobbyist from a professional. At 12, he began performing in the Everyday Circus at the City Museum, one of St. Louis’ most treasured landmarks. And by 16, he had appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman and the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Book spent five summers touring with Circus Smirkus, the only touring youth circus in America, which is where he grew “to love the circus, clowning, performing and met all my best friends.”
It’s also where he found inspiration from a boy named Jacob, who “suffers from the autism spectrum disorder called Asperger’s Syndrome. Even with this disability, he is now one of the best diaboloists (a Chinese juggling prop) in the world. He is my inspiration because of what he has overcome.”
Asked his snippet of wisdom, Book adds: Unwrap the frozen pizza before you put it in the oven.
Joy Powers
Joy Powers plays a girly-girl clown with a surprising tough side. Like the best clown characters, her character is an extension of herself.
Joy perfected her skills in juggling, acrobatics and aerial acts at Circus Smirkus, a Vermont summer camp dedicated to the circus arts. That’s where she caught the eye of Tim Holst, Vice President of Talent for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey®, who recruited her to join Clown Alley with ZING ZANG ZOOMSM.
Joy was thrilled to join The Greatest Show On Earth®. As she puts it: “I was doing circus and clowning for six years previous to this, just for fun. (It’s still for fun!)”
A native of the Boston area, Joy recalls the time in high school when she choreographed “a dance piece for an all-male comedy synchronized swimming team. I’m very proud of that.”
In her spare time, she likes to knit, draw and write. “I’m a real homebody, so I do those things a lot. I also love Ultimate Frisbee, dancing and hanging out with my friends.”
Joy looks forward to seeing different parts of the country on her first extended travel by train.
Her snippet of wisdom: “Everything I have ever accomplished was something I thought I could never do, and then forced myself to do.”
Julio Ramazini
As a child, Julio Ramazini loved going to the circus and watching the clowns. Now he’s a clown himself. His destiny arrived in 2007, when he was tapped to join Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey®. He is on his second tour with TheGreatest Show On Earth®.
A native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Julio began studying circus arts 10 years ago at Brazil’s National Circus School. His clown character was inspired by his good friend and mentor, Paulo “Gallo” Cirillo, with whom he worked at Circus Vox.
When not performing, Julio enjoys watching action movies, especially those starring Vin Diesel. He also enjoys studying, reading and doing research, which helps his imagination flow. “Imagination is sometimes more important than knowledge. Being imaginative and creative helps me be who I am.”
In addition to Portuguese, the native tongue of Brazil, Julio also speaks Spanish and is working on perfecting his English.
His words to live by: “Ha-ha-ha-ha! Be happy!
Randall Snowden Jr. –Little Randy
Randy Snowden Jr. is the clown in the cowboy hat who loves slapstick comedy and country songs.
Snowden says his life changed the day someone gave him a guitar and he took up song writing. Before joining Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey® presents ZING ZANG ZOOMSM , his proudest moment was performing once with Willie Nelson. “Don’t get much better than that.”
Running away with the circus was the craziest thing Randy says he’s ever done. But now he hopes to stay at least 20 years. “My momma told me, ‘You’ve been a clown all your life, you might as well get paid for it.’ And I have to agree with that!”
Prior to joining Clown Alley for the 139th Edition of the Greatest Show On Earth®, Randy worked on other Feld Entertainment productions, including Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic, Disney on Ice presents Monsters Inc., and the 137th Edition of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey®, as a member of the production crew.
Randy’s clowning skills are self-taught, though he’s proud to have learned from the best in the business. His comic inspirations are Buster Keaton and George Carlin. Asked what makes him laugh, he says: “Anyone who's not afraid to go to the hospital to be funny.”
His favorite part of the circus is the FREE All Access Pre-show.“I like to get intimate with the audience and be able to really feed off their laughter.”
In his spare time, Randy enjoys writing poetry, taking pictures and watching movies with his wife, Trish, also a member of Clown Alley.
Randy’s snippet of wisdom: “Life is what you make it ... why not make it a gag.”
Trish Anne Snowden
Trish Snowden is one of two funny female clowns in the 139th Edition of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents ZING ZANG ZOOMSM.
“I have always wanted to work for the circus and now, to be part of this legendary show, is a dream come true for me,” she says.
Raised in Melbourne, Fla., Snowden grew up in a theatrical family, so it’s no surprise she became a performer herself. Prior to joining Ringling Bros. in 2007, she worked behind-the-scenes with Disney On Ice. Having always wanted to work for the circus, Snowden jumped on an opportunity to work for the wardrobe department for the 137th Edition of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® .
When her family learned she was joining the circus, “They said I would fit right in!”
“My father would joke with me a lot. He would say it was to build character. I guess it worked because now I’m quite a character!”
Snowden says she drew comedic inspiration from the late Steve Irwin, "the Crocodile Hunter” of cable television fame and Boss Clown Dustin Portillo. It is also a special treat to work alongside her husband, Randy Snowden, also a member of Clown Alley.
Away from the bright lights, Snowden enjoys cooking as well as designing and making clothes. Seeing so many different cities is a great benefit to being part of The Greatest Show On Earth®, she says.
Although she considers bungee jumping the craziest thing she's ever done, she’s currently practicing on the low wire and hopes to one day master the high wire.
Her snippet of wisdom: “Physical comedy is not always funny for the comedian.”
Ivan Vargas
Ivan Vargas didn’t have to run away far to join the circus, he literally grew up with one. His father, Alejandro Vargas, a former trapeze artist with The Greatest Show On Earth®, is now its Animal Care Superintendent. And his mother, Lolis, another former member of The Flying Vargas trapeze troupe, is a seamstress for the ladies wardrobe department with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® presents ZING ZANG ZOOMSM.
Ivan, 18, is the sixth generation of his father’s family to perform in the circus, and the fifth generation on his mother’s side. He grew up with elephants as his playmates and the trapeze as his playground. He was educated in the Ringling Bros.® school, surrounded by children from all corners of the world.
Ivan says he always knew he would follow in his parents’ footsteps. He first performed with Ringling Bros. in the 135th Edition as an acrobatic production man. Now he returns with the 139th Edition as a tumbling member of the legendary Clown Alley.
The most exhilarating part of the job is performing in front of thousands of people and making them gasp, he says. “I’ve been able to travel around the world and meet different people from different cultures.” His goal is to be remembered as a great performer who redefined traditional acts.
When not performing, Ivan takes pleasure in photography and meeting new people.
His snippet of wisdom: “The show must go on!”