Being a Very Serious Clown

A clown who goes hand in hand with poetry, spirituality, and good taste as all should do every time a red nose leaned out. They are the owners, at least for a moment, of the innocence of an audience on vacation.

Bringing back the inner child in every adult is the ultimate goal for most of them. Stirring the fantasies and spirituality in each child is not an easy task, either.

But Clown Comebolas (Ball-Eater) meets this goal in a simple way, like breathing.

Magic, good taste, poetry, and a great heart live together within this strange clown. However, his shows are everything all clowns must do whenever they are in front of children and they have their attention and curiosity.

I must not tar all of them the same brush since most of clown who perform nowadays in birthday’s parties is the lack of innovation, bad taste, and even curse words. Not to mention how Ariel Mermaid, Micky Mouse, or Spiderman have been popularized in such parties. But that would require another article.

These lines are meant for clowns, for A Clown

He would deserve hundreds of interviews, awards, documentaries…but Pinar del Rio native Nestor Montes de Oca, the man behind this make-up and these colors is happy with only spreading happiness.

And he does it greatly as he has so much to offer. He is a poet, narrator, and painter graduated from the San Alejandro National Academy of Fine Arts. The Loynaz Publishing House has published his books Magia de Luna Llena (2003) and La verdadera historia de Pancho Carrancho (2005). And Cauce Publishing House published Agua Crecida, a poetry notebook for children winner of the Alcorta Awards in Pinar del Rio. He also writes poetry for adults.

He also won the Children’s Literature Award given by the Hermanos Loynaz Contest with Retablo de Ilusiones (2009). He tackles the romance genre, as well as sonnets, ten-line stanzas, and quatrains…

By the end of 2012, he was one of the founders of the Socio-cultural Community Project CREARTE, promoted by the Culture Direction of the municipality in Pinar del Rio to encourage the reading of fairy tales and poetry for children.

But he says nothing about it. He rather introduces himself as a man who writes for children, adults, and works in the performing arts as Clown “Comebolas”.

“There are three different genres but they make my communication with the public easier. We are orphan of fantasies.”

He is a self-taught clown. His monologue is masterful, coherent and deliberate. He highlights beauty and creativity. As he studied in San Alejandro, his make-up, puppets are hymns to colors.

Suffice to say that the Guppy, such wonderful and sad fish with floating fins, is certainly an art work. Nestor tells the art design is of his own.

And if we think the puppets are cute, I should tell that the stories he narrates are much prettier. Stars, wooden tables, cows, birds, grandparents, and lots of green are the main characters of his works.

While some of his colleague try to make people laugh with stories of farts, punches, and hurting mockeries. Nestor appeals to the most genuine and common, to our roots, and breezes.

Nestor has 60 years old and no one believes it because of his strength and physical on the stage.

“I was born on April 1957. But I go to the gym. I go jogging, and I ask God for health with my heart.”

Meanwhile, Clown Comebolas helps others with their heartbeat at the wonderful pace of beauty, and Cuban roots.

CubaSi Translation Staff