Dan Rudolph

Dan’s journey to clowning has been unusual. In 2019, at a crossroads and seeking to deepen his meditation practice, he approached a teacher to study at their ashram in India. Instead, the teacher, a self-proclaimed trickster, encouraged him to explore flow arts and circus, opening Dan’s door (heart/mind) to clowning.
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Inspired, Dan quit his job, honed his juggling skills, and planned to join a circus Ecoversity in Brazil. However the pandemic redirected him, and unexpectedly he found himself in a monastery for a 3 month apprenticeship, which turned into a 2.5 year residency. At the monastery Dan continued studying clowning - including taking Barnaby’s Clown Connection course! - and offered workshops and performances for the monastic community.

This unique space crystallized his vision for Unified Playfulness, blending contemplative practices and clowning into an embodied methodology. After leaving the monastery, Dan sought ways to continue clowning while earning right livelihood. This led him to start working with Barnaby and Clown Spirit, integrating his passion and his skills in event organizing, strategic design, and systems change.
Now based in Montreal, Dan is continuing to evolve Unified Playfulness, and is constantly seeking more ways to weave clown in, both subtly and explicitly, into his life and work.

Visit the Clown Spirit: https://www.clown-spirit.com

Visit Dan's website, Unified Play: https://dour-sparrow-34e.notion.site/Unified-Playfulness-1b52581c940980aa980fe07774897c42