CHRIS ALLISON

Chris Allison was twelve years old when he took a school field trip to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus that would change his life forever. Leaving the circus wide-eyed and in a sugar- induced daze, Chris decided then that he would grow up and become a clown with the Greatest Show On Earth®. After graduating from the RBBB Clown College with a major in pie throwing and a minor in pratfalls, Chris spent the next eleven years touring with the circus, the final three years as the Boss Clown.  Since leaving the show, Chris has toured all across the United States as well as internationally, which included performances in Hong Kong, Mainland China, Europe, Mexico and beyond!

 

Chris’s skills include Juggling, Unicycling, Chinese Yo-Yo, and Ball Spinning, combined with Side-Splitting Comedy, Improvisation, Stilt Walking, Balloon Art, and all adorned with  a splash of Magic.

 

If you are saying "Hey that clown looks familiar..." maybe that's because you saw him on MTV's Road Rules, MTV'S ODDVILLE, Natalie Merchants music video for her hit song "Kind and Generous", Oprah, The Today Show, Emeril Live, Comedy Centrals Strangers with Candy, The Late Show with David Letterman and was a semi-finalist on America’s Got Talent.

 

Chris was the recipient of the Golden Nose Award for  “Audience Choice Best Clown” in New York City’s acclaimed monthly clown review  -  The Downtown Clown.

GINA ALLISON

Gina Allison took a very non-traditional path to becoming her clown alter-ego Gigi.  Gina was hired as a dancer for the Greatest Show on Earth® and traveled the country for two years with the show.  During that time, she became friends with a number of members of the world famous Clown Alley including the man who would eventually become her husband, Chris Allison.  After two years, her friends in clown alley encouraged her to try out for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College where she would earn her Bachelor of Fun Arts degree and perfect the skills her friends on the road had taught her.  Again, she was offered a contract to return to Ringling Bros., this time trading in her tap shoes for over-sized clown shoes and her sequined, feathered headpieces for greasepaint and a rubber nose – Gigi had been born! And, in typical circus romance style, so too, had been born the deep fondness she felt for fellow cast member, Chris Allison.  The two were married and traveled for another three years together performing as a husband and wife comedy team!  Gina recalls it as the “experience of a lifetime” but felt she and Chris needed a chance to grow roots and start a family away from the fast-paced schedule of performing with the circus.

After leaving Ringling, Gina – aka Gigi – found satisfaction performing in the Pediatric Unit of Yale New Haven Hospital for 10 years.

Gina has also appeared in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, on Late Night with David Letterman, Tivoli Gardens in Japan, The Today Show with Willard Scott, MTV's Road Rules, Ocean Park in Hong Kong, Scandinavia Cruise Lines and the White House - just to name a few of her career highlights!!!

According to Gina, clowning with her partner and husband has been one of the best experiences a clown wife could ask for!