Fresh The Clowns

Detroit dance and performance collective Fresh the Clowns began when its founding member was asked by his mother-in-law to dress up like a clown and entertain at her daughter's birthday party. He reluctantly agreed, but on the condition that he could put a more modern and hip-hop-influenced spin on the tired clown trope. This chance birthday party grew into a small local business/collective of dance-oriented entertainers, going on to include upwards of a dozen members. The collective gained worldwide exposure for its viral dance challenge videos, where the clowns in full regalia did tightly choreographed dance routines, sometimes on sets and other times recorded live in performance. With this newfound recognition, the collective (all of whose members maintain anonymity to keep a mystique intact for the children they work with) branched out even further into making original songs, including singles like 2017's "Kinda Wavy" and the 2018 collaboration with DJ Lilman, "With My Friends." Forming in 2013 as a one-clown operation, Fresh the Clown was the stage name for one entertainer, but quickly expanded into a multi-member dance troupe. Performing around the Detroit area for kids' parties or group events, Fresh the Clowns offered family-friendly entertainment with cutting edge hip-hop choreography and a more street-minded approach to culture and celebration. The group was a massive hit locally, but expanded its audience exponentially with a 2016 video of a dance created for the song "Juju on That Beat" by Zay Hilfigerrr and Zayion McCall. As the video went viral and was streamed millions of times, attention poured in from around the globe. This upsurge of recognition led to more viral dance videos and eventually to original songs produced by the group. The first of these came with 2016's "How Fast (#FTCChallenge)" and was followed the next year with the singles "Kinda Wavy" and "Got Me Dancing," both of which had accompanying videos that racked up view counts in the millions. In the summer of 2018, the collective teamed with DJ Lilman for the anti-gang violence song "With My Friends." ~ Fred Thomas