Nichols College had the honor of welcoming Jesko von den Steinen to campus on February 28, 2015. Jesko is a professional actor, clown, choreographer, filmmaker and creative designer. He mainly lives in Berlin, Germany and Montreal, Canada, but he travels around the world speaking to others about his experiences, especially with The House of Dancing Water, the world’s largest water-based performing arts show.

Jesko decided at age 14 he wanted to be an actor. He went right to college after high school; two years into college he received a call from Cirque Du Soleil telling him they had a position for him. This is a dream for any young man or woman who wishes to pursue a career in theatre. He told them he wanted to finish college and then he would join.

During his time at Cirque Du Soleil, Jesko worked as a clown. He knew that he did not want to be a clown forever, that he wanted to do something bigger. The economic crisis of 2008 caused him trouble; work was scarce. Luckily he received a call from City of Dreams Corporation to join The House of Dancing Water. He currently plays the lead role, “The Stranger,” and has been working with them for five years.

Jesko inspired us to make goals that are within our reach and goals that are far-fetched. He told us that if we have a dream, then we should make it reality! It is to be expected we will fail many times before we succeed.

Jesko’s TED Talk from October 2014 is available to watch HERE!