Young 'Opal De Clown' brings love for balloon crafts to streets

Little did he know, his hobby would eventually lead him to become a street entertainer at the age of 11 in 2019.

After realising he has a knack for balloon crafts and entertaining, Muhammad Rafiuddin Naufal, now 14, then joined skills classes and formal training run by senior street performers to hone those skills.

"Through those classes, I was able to get to know more experienced clowns and then I was able to join Persatuan Seniman Badut Malaysia, which opened up more opportunities for me to perform," he told Bernama.

Often accompanied by his father, Mohd Nazron Wahih, 44, this teenage clown who is fondly known as 'Opal De Clown' did not feel awkward performing alongside other senior clowns with more experience in entertaining the crowd, especially children.

While other teenagers his age love music and games, Muhammad Rafiuddin Naufal is comfortable doing activities that are synonymous with children's interests, and he truly loves the sense of fulfilment he feels after making other people smile.

"My hard work pays off when I see people smile. When they are happy, I am delighted too.

"Among my unforgettable memories was when I entertained a group of disabled people at a restaurant. They patiently waited for me until I finished my last performance to take pictures with me because they were exhilarated by my show," he said.

However, Muhammad Rafiuddin Naufal admitted that not all audience loves a clown character; some even ran away out of fear.

"Some even cried, but it did not last long. I would try to cheer them up with various jokes and dancing, and usually, I managed to turn their frown upside down when I gave them some balloons," he said.

Being a student at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bandar Baru Salak Tinggi, Sepang, the eldest of three siblings would usually go out to perform on weekends, public holidays and school holidays so as not to disrupt his studies.

Besides performing randomly and participating in carnivals, Muhammad Rafiuddin Naufal said he often received invitations to enliven birthday parties, weddings and graduations, and requests from people to surprise their loved ones.

Elaborating, the teenager said he would carry out the activities three times a week, each lasting for about four hours, adding that he could earn more than four figures a month.

When asked about his future plans, the Selangor native said he wants to become an art education teacher since the field is close to his heart, and he is genuinely passionate about becoming an educator.

"But I will also continue to perform as a clown to entertain people," he said.