This summer, young people ages 8 to 14 will have the opportunity to be class clowns.

And that's a good thing, given that clowning around will be an integral part of the curriculum when funnyman Izzi Tooinsky teaches another session of clown school to Nevada County kids at the Grass Valley Center for the Arts.

Tooinsky's clowning credentials are impressive, with many professional appearances in both the U.S. and Australia.

He has appeared on “Good Morning America” and been called by the Los Angeles Times “a wonderful cross between Garrison Keillor and Cirque De Soleil.”

Tooinsky provides an interesting perspective on why entertaining others through laughter is an important art form dating back to the beginning of human history.

“In our culture, clowning has become big shoes and a red nose,” Tooinsky said. “But that's a very narrow way of looking at clowning that has only evolved in the past 75 to 100 years.

“Clowning is ancient and the reason for it having popped up in every single culture is because it makes people feel good. And in that process, people discover the goodness that is already there.”

Growing up these days can be anything but easy, Tooinsky noted. His intention is that clown school provides kids a respite and a creative outlet for having fun.

“Kids can carry around these huge burdens, due to our conditioning and who we think we're supposed to be,” Tooinsky said. “It's a wonderful thing to have an opportunity to drop the baggage and to be able to play.

“There's no one more joyful than a kid who is playing, but in many cultures play is restricted when we reach a certain age. So in this class, we're finding avenues and ways that kids can play again.”

Tooinsky will teach two one-week courses, the first to be held June 13-17 and the second from July 11-15. He incorporates things like “non-directed creative play,” which means allowing children to “freely draw upon the natural comedy” that Tooinsky says kids innately have inside themselves.

Tooinsky also provides an abundance of costumes and leads the children in exercises meant to spark their comic sides, like “funny walking” and “funny voices.”

He also finds juggling to be a very powerful tool in unlocking kids' creativity.

“I've taught juggling to all kinds of people, from kids in juvenile hall to older people with dementia,” Tooinsky said. “Juggling is magic and the reason is very simple. When someone juggles, they hold a certain balance right there in their hands and it's rare that we experience a feeling of balance.

“With juggling, we can recreate that over and over again. It's an incredible thing to teach to children. It gives them a method to help them feel in balance when the world is throwing its craziness at them.”

Tooinsky's hope is that the kids who take his course understand that clowning and play are naturally good things and that they can have a better understanding of those in the world around them through being funny and at the same time being themselves.

“I hope that the kids take away a heightened feeling of joy and goodness in themselves,” Tooinsky said. “The most important thing is that when we are feeling good in ourselves, we can then really accept other people.”

For enrollment information regarding clown school, contact The Center for the Arts at (530) 274-8384 or e-mail info@thecenterforthearts.org.

Tom Kellar is a freelance writer living in Cedar Ridge. He can be reached at thomaskellar@hotmail.com