Introduction to an act

[MikeCheng]

I would guess you probably need an introduction to your act instead of doing something cool straight away.

My question is, though, is it better to do something impressive first off in order to impress the audience to get them to stay? Or should I start with easy stuff, and move up to the finale?

Or maybe simply use comedy at the beginning to catch the audience's interest?

[Tyler]

Hi, Mike

This is Tyler from the IJDB:-) My answer to your question would be to do something neat. Not hard, because then people may not be impressed for the rest of your show. So do something neat, diabolo is great to start off with if you do it, same with devilstick or contact juggling. Then get people to make a lot of noise, do some funny stuff, and start your engines. Best of luck.

Oh yeah, ane mention your big climax at least three times throughout the show.

[Tyler]

Take some time to set up, and play some music until people start to gather. Once that happens, continue with what I said, or do somethng different, but don't do your best trick first. And people are drawn to fire like flies to a corpse. :-P

[Minnie Maniac]

He's right about the fire. And the music too, but it doesn't have to be music. People are attracted to all kinds of loud noises. Some people blow whistles, some shout, some play music. As soon as you have some attention, you have to connect with the people that are watching. Don't be afraid to speak directly to a few people who have stopped, just telling them that you intend to do a show and they are welcome to stay and watch.

Then you have to do something cool to keep them interested and build a bigger crowd. Crowd control is pretty important, you have to get them to move in closer to you, that way, they are more likely to stay. You can do this in loads of ways. When you start out, it is easier to have something marked out on the ground (chalk line or rope) so they know where you want them to stand. Then I would say just ask them nicely, wait for a moment and move on with your show. Sometimes pressuring them to hard early on can intimidate and cause some people to leave.

The most important thing, however, is making them stay. The only way to do this is to entertain them. There is nothing more important than confidence and it is easier to have confidence when you know your material and know exactly what is coming next. Watch other people. It is okay to borrow a few lines when you are starting out, I don't care what anyone says. Most street performers have 'borrowed' something at some point and while it is nice to be original, it is a damn hard road to start from scratch making it all up yourself. And if you want to make any money at all - you have to have good 'hat lines'

Good luck Mike, and Tyler too!

Minnie Maniac

PS I wrote this as much for me as you guys!

[Tyler]

Thanks for the advice. Good luck with your performing Mike.