busking

[mischief]

This ties in with a thread on another board, but for a slightly different theme:

How to set up a busking show. How to set up individual routines (assuming most of us don't have circus-y groups at home). Where to busk. How to get permits/are permits necessary.

Any ideas?

[Dani]

hey, I saw this street performer at the art festival this weekend, and he was amazing. He was juggling fire without a detail too . . . maybe . . . . could we? anyways, he had a huge crowd (granted this was at a fair) but he was doing some things we should do to draw it.

first he had a whistle, second, he made if pittifully evident that he "lived by the ancient street performing code known as SHARING" - (offers hat to audience shamelessly.)

I even asked him what the biggest key was to successful street performing and told him about our troupe (although he was far more interested in collecting $) - he said just to practice, and to know the routine that you are going to do ahead of time. - he basically told me to practice - but hey, even though it seem obvious, I thought I'd pass it along!

How is everybody doing? are you as hamp sick as mee??

-Love dani

[tarapeze]

that's awesome that you went to talk to him. i'm starting to figure that out here in new york... been watching other street performers and such, and what seems to work best is presenting the public with a mini-show: garner an audience by shouting and having music and noise and getting people involved (call-back or clapping, etc) which attracts more people, then start the show and do your thing (not for too long) finish off and make it clear you expect donations!

now we've got that figured out, all we've got to do is design a show and put it on. sairuh & i (and then emma & i when she visited for a few days) were working on little poi routines, just combining the tricks we know, mostly in synchronisation. the funny thing with that is, you get a lot of attention just practicing - but people are shy to watch, and if you want money for doing it you certainly have to help them in that direction, it seems...

hopefully i'll put something together to do myself in Covent Garden when i go to london in a week!

[guest]

That's excellent!!!

I've been working on juggling - I made my own balls - and I think that I'm getting it!!!

- love to all

dani

[contactsarah]

Yesterday I went to the annual free Shakespeare festival here in St. Louis where they were performing Julius Ceasar. I've gone each year ever since it started (so maybe...6 years now), and each year I've watched this guy, Juggling Jeff www.tallhippo.com/asp/juggler/default.asp, perform. It was interesting to watch him work this year now that I knew a bit about what was going on from his side of the performance.
This year he had an assistant with him dressed in a checkerboard toga calling himself "Ceasar" (plus they also had a wandering boy magician that they called "Crouton") who basically made bad jokes. The two of them started about an hour before Jeff's show (which was an hour before the actual show) wandering around the audience in costume and holding three clubs each. They were basically just heckling the audience by asking all the picnic-ers for grapes/other fruit. When they found someone with grapes they'd then stand and pass the clubs to one another across the person's blanket the whole time making comments about how they didn't know what they were doing and how they were liable to drop at any moment (of course they didn't).
The interesting thing about Juggling Jeff's show was that he hasn't changed it much after 6 years. I can watch the show and even though he does and says pretty much the same thing each time (except this year he added fire staff and a fire jump rope of Doom) I'm still entertained. But each time I've seen him perform he always makes sure to get the audience to make a lot of noise usually with a call and response kind of set up ("Say ooooh" etc.) which always draws over and even larger crowd to make even more commotion. You guys should all watch his demo video on the website I linked because it gives a pretty good idea of his routine. And near the end he always takes a 'commercial break' to either ask for money or pass out business cards.

[James]

www.jugglingdb.com/compendium/performing/venues/streetshows/busking.html

^I found this article the other day. You might find it educational.