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THE STORY BEHIND EVERY SMILE!

	WELCOME TO LEV LEYTZAN
Welcome to Lev Leytzan: The Compassionate Clown Alley, Inc. We are thrilled that you would like to learn about us and about the work that we do! Who can resist watching a child play? It is a play full of innocence, wonder, and joy. It is the role of all clowns to bring us back to that awe-filled experience of the child. The Compassionate Clowns of Lev Leytzan help those they touch reconnect with that innocence, wonder, and joy. The troupe’s members are no ordinary clowns, however. They are clowns who bring their antics directly to the audiences that needs them the most by playing: Lev Leytzan’s Compassionate Clowns play in hospitals, hospices, nursing homes, and so many places How we are different. Where reclaiming that childlike wonder and joy, even momentarily, helps people persevere and, often, overcome their challenges.

The Lev Leytzan teen clowns may have the clowns’ brightly colored costumes and big shoes most clowns wear, but their lighthearted silliness goes beyond simply smiles and laughter. Because their audiences needy are active participants in the joking, because they know that they really have an impact on what happens in the interaction (so rare in their everyday existence), a joyful energy flows among everyone involved: the patients, the staff, and the visitors. Everyone feels empowered and hopeful.

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ABOUT US

Lev Leytzan, also known as The Compassionate Clown Alley, was founded in 2004 as a means of bringing cheer to the seriously ill, homebound, and the elderly. With opportunities for teens to learn about therapeutic clowning, grow in creativity, maturity and self-confidence, this unique program benefits the clowns just as much as their audiencesose they are clowning for.

Created by Neal Goldberg, Ph.D, a child, adolescent and adult psychologist from Woodmere, NY, teens who join the program undergo intense training in the physical, psychological and emotional aspects of clowning.

Dr. Goldberg, himself a professionally trained clown, was selected to receive training with Cirque du Monde, a program of Cirque du Soleil that teaches a pedagogical approach to artistic circus expression and youth social action promoting international networking around social circus and youth artistic initiatives. By combining his formal training as a psychologist and his love for performing, Goldberg has brought a unique flavor to the world of therapeutic clowning that ensures his students receive both highly entertaining and educational experiences.

Unlike many other high school activities that are often selective and competitive, any teen who is enthusiastic and shows an interest in the troupe is encouraged to join. The clowns range in age from 13 to 25, with the older clowns acting as mentors for their younger colleagues younger ones.

With students joining from junior high schools and high schools in the New York City area, many of the volunteer clowns forge a new identities that stays with them as they continue to clown throughout college.