AEMI Comedy Festival in Shanghai, China
What happens when you take forty of the top clowns, magicians, physical comedians, stilt walkers and balloon artists and set them loose in Shanghai, China? You get lightning in a bottle and a cornucopia of mayhem and laughter. These comedy masters came together this year, the year of the Rooster according to the Chinese calendar, and showed off why they are the best in the business.
My name is James Maltman, and I am a former Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey clown. I toured with The Greatest Show on Earth as a clown, juggler, acrobat and ringmaster for both the Blue and Red Units. For the past 20 years, I have toured the world with various circus shows and productions and have headlined with various cruise ships. I’ve played every venue and stage you can think of. So I was ready and prepared for my adventure when I was invited in September to participate in a special event. This year marked the 10th annual AEMI Comedy Festival which kicked off September 15th and finished on the 25th. The festival was created ten years ago as a cultural exchange by a Dr. Chris Wang. He had a dream of bringing American style clowning to the East and see what would happen. I was fortunate to be invited the first year and it turned out to be a huge success. Every year since then, the AEMI festival has grown and with Dr. Wang’s guidance, he has reached ou...Do you have a story to share? Submit your news story, article or press release.