Greg and Karen DeSanto
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Currently in their third decade as professional circus clowns, Greg and Karen DeSanto are one of the very few husband and wife comedy/clown teams working in America today.
Greg graduated in 1985 from the acclaimed Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College. He was the featured producing clown and created, wrote and directed original clown material for Ringling's Blue, Red and Gold Units. His work as a performer has been featured in such diverse locales as the center ring of Madison Square Garden, the historic vaudeville stage of the Sarasota Opera House, Lincoln Center and the White House. Greg was also a featured performer in the 1996-1997 Big Apple Circus tour, Medicine Show. He was inducted into the 2001 EHS HALL OF FAME for his contributions to the arts and humanities.
Karen graduated from the Ringling Clown College in 1993 and then was featured in Ringling's Blue Unit. A member of the Clown Care (SM) hospital clowning program of the Big Apple Circus, Karen is one of the country's leading clown instructors and has developed teaching programs for the Circus's Arts-In-Education program, the National Circus Project and Ocean Park Amusements. As a businesswoman, she created and ran a successful clown and character production company in California. Her performances have taken her to the stages of Carnegie Hall, the State Capital of California and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Karen is also a published author with articles in the Rosie magazine and the children's book, Star Saves the Circus.
Together Greg and Karen have served as consultants for Feld Entertainment and have directed the clown material for many editions of Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey. They have been featured comics on cruise lines, and in circuses around the world including a command performances for King Hussein of Morocco. For seven seasons Greg and Karen were the resident clowns at Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin, and appeared together in The Big Apple Circus’ 2005-06 production Grandma Goes To Hollywood.
