Highlights:
· Dustin Portillo wanted to be a clown from the time he was four years old. He began practicing at the age of 13.
· Lance Brown and Sean Davis are both graduates from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Clown College®
· Sean Davis is a former Marine who proudly served in the first Gulf War.
The Heavies
Dustin Portillo, Lance Brown, Sean Davis
Given their stumbling, bumbling efforts to help Mr. Gravity bring people down, it’s no surprise to learn the three clowns who play The Heavies in ZING ZANG ZOOMSM take comedic inspiration from The Three Stooges.
After all, Dustin Portillo, Lance Brown and Sean Davis have dedicated their lives to making people laugh.
Dustin, wanted to be a clown from the time he was four years old. Every year when his parents took him to the circus in Independence, Mo., he found himself fascinated by the clowns. At 13, he started practicing some tricks, a few pratfalls and a little juggling. Today, he is the high-spirited boss clown – Maurice – in the 139th Edition of the RinglingBros. and Barnum & Bailey®.
Dustin started his career at a Six Flags-based show, where he honed his physical comedy and classic clown skills. He also developed a talent for designing and building the props used in Clown Alley, his circus home for five years. He hopes to make his life in the circus and credits his parents with giving him the encouragement to fulfill his dreams.
For inspiration, Dustin quotes the great Frosty Little:“It takes 5 to 10 years to be a good clown, and 10 to 20 years to become a great clown!” A naturally funny and outgoing guy, Dustin strives for greatness.
Lance, who plays Krusty, wanted to be an Indian chief when he was a kid. But he decided to become an entertainer after seeing Jim Carey in the Ace Ventura movies. He remembers thinking, “Hey, I could make those faces!” Besides the Stooges, he also takes comedic inspiration from Jerry Lewis, for whom he once performed.
At 17, Lance, who grew up in California as the oldest of five children, enrolled in Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Clown College® and was offered a contract upon graduation. He performed with the members of Clown Alley for both the 128th Edition and last season's BellobrationSM. This will be his third tour with The Greatest Show On Earth®.
The best perk, he says, is watching all the talented artists perform on a nightly basis. He is joined on the tour by his fiancée, Ashley, who works in the show’s nursery.
Sean, who is the third Heavy named Surly, grew up in Chicago, also with dreams of becoming a performer. He realized his dream in 1996, when he began touring with the 125th Edition of Ringling Bros.
Upon graduating from Clown College in 1995, Sean became the first person in his family to perform with a traveling circus. A former Marine who proudly served in the first Gulf War, he briefly pursued a criminal justice degree in Chicago, but returned to Ringling Bros. as a member of the support crew in 2007.
Sean, who says he’s “extremely accurate” with a six-foot long bullwhip, revels in his role as a Heavy. But his greatest joy is his nine-year-old daughter, Alexis.
His circus travels have provided him with a first-rate opportunity to sample local dishes all over the world – a real treat for a guy “who loves to eat,” he says.
In his free time, Sean is studying Russian and Portuguese. He also owns a pet snake named Delilah and is an avid fan of Chicago-area sports teams.