On the route to El Teide and overlooking the spectacular Valley of La Orotava you will find Casa Saraswati, an in-

ternational retreat centre and home of Tenerife-based Teatro del Corazón.

Run by Didier Danthois, Teatro del Corazón (also known in the rest of Europe as Fool at Heart) is the theatre school that embodies his twenty years of experience in the art of the sacred clown.

Teatro del Corazón, literally the theatre of the heart, is a unique art form that aims to connect us to our fundamental truth. 

This use of art to connect with our deepest self is not something new. For example, in Greek times, many temples such as the Temple of Asclepius included a theatre. Here, the plays presented were based on helping individuals and the community to heal.

 

It was not unusual for the arts to be seen as the route to health. 

This ancient practice of using theatre to find our own authenticity has been developed into what Didier calls ‘sacred clowning’, with workshops and performances that nourish the heart and celebrate the joy of being.

“In our world today we find it difficult to simply be,” says Didier, “And we have so many pressures and goals that we feel that nothing is ever enough, making it impossible for us to feel satisfied and content. Without being how can we experience the joy in the moment, seeing a flower or holding the hand of an elderly person? Little by little the clown helps us rest into being and allows the mystery of the moment to unfold.”

 

 “This is quite different from just tricks or juggling or slapstick,” says Didier. “The mime-clown is our art form and this includes dance-movement. In our approach we also use the voice through sounds and singing to enhance the natural humour that comes from the non-verbal. Then the clown gives us a licence to play, in a magical form that explores life’s dilemmas from new angles.”

Having established his work all over Europe, Didier is keen to let people experience this sensitive approach to clowning in Tenerife.

He has already started the new year with a performance and talk at El Corte Ingles with fellow clown and partner Sara Rajzman, and will be offering further workshops and performances to the island’s English-speaking residents,  sharing the simplicity and wonder of the sacred clown.

Didier recommends people start with a one-day workshop or an introductory weekend before embarking on a seven-day residential retreat in sacred clowning. 

 

The one-day workshop Discovering the Wisdom of the Clown is a guided exploration of play, dance, creative movement, improvisation and clowning, while the two-day workshop Awakening the Wisdom of the Clown is an initiation to the archetype of the clown. We will learn to find the inner space for the wisdom, freedom and joy of the clown to manifest. 

This workshop also includes entering the magic of the red nose and a taster of Raga Singing. 

“I was surprised at how much time there was to listen in silence to my own body. This was very relaxing and deeply rewarding. It felt like a wonderful holy-day!” says one previous participant.

 

“In silence we learn to listen to our heart, to our essence and then slowly learn to express that quality in the relationships of daily life, as well as through the arts,” says Didier.

 

That has certainly been the experience of many of Didier´s students.

Participants often report how inspired they are by the work and how happy it has made them feel.

“You have shown me a playful way of being that I knew was there”, writes James, one previous participant. 

“I never felt so grounded, so honest and free in all my life!” says another, Anne-Marie.

Many are surprised at how close they feel to others in the group, after only a day together. 

Hundreds of people all over Europe have already trained with Didier and return year after year for more in-depth retreats. In fact, the reason he established Casa Saraswati was to give sacred clowning a permanent home.

Like all of Didier´s work, Casa Saraswati is full of beauty and magic, and you can certainly feel this when you visit.

It is an oasis of peace, spaciously spread over seven terraces, eight hundred metres above the sea. From the terrace you can look out onto the ocean and the whole Valley of La Orotava and behind, the Corona Forestal and Mount Teide. 

Here there is a wonderful feeling of calm and it feels easy to just be with the vast expanse of ocean, sky and mountain all around. Time seems to slow down as you leisure among fruit trees, flowers and avocado groves. 

Didier, the founder of Fool at Heart and director of Teatro del Corazon hopes more and more people will come to benefit from the wonderful healing energy here, as well as awakening to the playful wisdom of the clown.

One of the main priorities of Teatro del Corazón is to contribute to local life and social wellbeing and in February a specially-trained group called Clown Care will visit residential homes for the elderly in La Orotava and Puerto de la Cruz.

Didier received his training in clowning and circus arts at the Fratellini Circus School in Paris. He has also studied expressionist dance, mime and Raga singing. He teaches clowning and directs performances internationally.

He is also a psychotherapist and has been inspired by the teachings of the Buddha. 

His art celebrates the beauty of authenticity, compassion and interdependence of all things and people, and thus promotes a better understanding of the inner child in every one of us.

Are you interested in finding out more or learning the art of sacred clowning? 

There’s time to catch a workshop with Didier before he starts his European workshop tour in London, Oslo and Berlin this Spring.

Awakening the Wisdom of the Clown, on the 4th and 5th February is a weekend workshop suitable for all, including beginners, at Asociación Proyecto Besana in Santa Cruz. 

The cost of the workshop is €120 if booked in advance.

More performances and workshops will be held in Tenerife at later dates during the year.