Jan (“Yahn”) Damm has been touring in the U.S. and internationally as a circus artist for 20 years; He specializes in clown, juggling, acrobatics, balancing and eccentric skills. Originally from Augusta Maine, Jan began performing professionally at 11 years old as a children’s magician and juggler.
After graduating Bard college he packed his performance gear in a pickup and toured across western Canada with partner Jasper Patterson to perform as the ‘Institute of Robotic Psychology’ absurdist street theater show. Jan continued his performance training in Portland, Oregon and then for 3 years at the San Francisco Circus Center. He fundraised and toured with the humanitarian performance group ‘Clowns Without Borders USA’, Participating in relief tours to Haiti, Indonesia, Lebanon and Greece.
Jan has appeared on national television programs such as David Letterman and The Today Show.
His original one-man show, ‘Happy To Be Here!’ Appeared at the Philadelphia Contemporary Fringe Festival and the Philly Fringe to widespread acclaim.
Jan enjoys collaboration and creating original work, but is also at home in classic spectacles inspired by the greats of vaudeville and circus.
Career highlights include Celebrity Cruises, Cirque Mechanics’ Pedal Punk, Big Apple Circus’ 40th Anniversary Tour, and Ringling ’s 2023 revival of ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’. Most recently he appeared as lead character and solo act in the acclaimed Teatro Zinzanni in Seattle, Washington.
He lives in Brattleboro, Vermont with his wife Ariele and their two children.
