From Don Covington

7f0d63_Clowns_04182010, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. You’d never believe it by looking at his thatch of upward-standing red hair, but daredevil clown Bello Nock says a single can of hairspray lasts him a whole week - 10 to 12 shows. “I spray my hair, and it’s not what people think,” Nock said of his 3-minute hair routine before every performance with Big Apple Circus, which is in Boston until May 16. “It’s actually a very little amount of hairspray. It’s not like it’s this big process.” The low-maintenance clown simply blows his hair dry upside down and gives it a quick spray, adding another layer here and there throughout the day. Even his makeup only takes a few minutes. Nock just throws on a little talcum powder, darkens his eyebrows and adds some stage makeup. “If you saw me walking in the street, I’m the same person,” he said. But hair and makeup is hardly the most strenuous part of Nock’s pre-show ritual. The seventh-generation performer travels with his wife and three children, so before every show they get together and have 15- to 20-minute jam sessions on Rock Band or their real instruments. Nock said his daughter sings and plays the guitar and his son plays the drums. Even the grandma clown chimes in from time to time. “That’s sort of the fun of getting everyone on the same page,” he said. “You can only listen to an iPod so much.” Bello said they also play with toys to get themselves in the right mindset for a show. “We have a trampoline, unicycles,” said Nock. “They’re a little odd, but there’s nothing wrong with that - look at me.” He said taking 15 minutes to a half an hour before every show to clown around creates a cast-wide bond that builds morale for the day. “If we’re having a good time, that becomes infectious,” he said.