Help newbie performers

[sikkolo]

Hi all! I am a newbie juggler. Me and my friend can juggle 5 balls, use unycicle, clubs balloon sculpture and other stuff. We just juggle for fun, we spent a year praticising and now we would like to start doing some perform on the street. just for have fun!

I read a lot of article and tutorial, and a lot of message int his forum, but i havent any ideas of how a show should be... i never seen any juggle buskers in my life, so i would like to know.

Anyone have some suggestion for us? Generally we start juggle and say nothing, but few people stops and they go away in 1-2 minutes!

In particullary, how we can coinvolge the people that are watching, for example ask someone to launch us a ball, or stuff like this, with some speak and jokes in the meantime...

Thanks to everyone that would help us!

PS: Any book about juggling busker?

[GlassHarper]

Learning busking

Hey, Sikkolo --

To use the vernacular: where you at? It would be helpful to know since then one of us might be able to direct you to the nearest active pitch where you could see a busker's circle show.

Read the articles in the "Library" here -- they will certainly give you the background you need to get started. But NOTHING can replace the experience of watching an experienced street performer as she/he (wow, does that phrase sound like the good laugh it ought to be!) builds an audience, entertains that audience and then, after suitable hat lines, garner the rewards from his/her years (or hours) of study and preparation.

Remember, most passersby don't really give a d*** about juggers, or glass players or mimes or balloon clowns -- they need to be entertained! (there he goes preaching again)!

[sikkolo]

Thanks man, I am from Parma (Italy) there aren't any juggling club out of there

Do you know any videos with some performers show ?
Thanks again and byee

[Doctor Eric]

What is coinvulge? Does it cost money? How much? For say, I don't know, a half-hour?

[worldwidese]

Coinvolge

Eric, could it be co-involve? I.m not sure that's a word, but I think they mean involve or interact.

[martin ewen]

Somewhere to start.

sikkolo
Its a bit of a science really and after that you get to be defined by others as any good or not.

You create a stage in public
create an audience
do a show with a
beginning
middle
and end
and ask for money afterwards.


There are variations .
Each piece is its own exercise or experiment.

Should I write a book?
How many here risk unemployment if so?
There are exercises that cover each section but what I found helpful is someone already successful being able to outline the above and give me permission to imagine alternatives and act on them.

Thanks alan clay

[Mr.Taxi Trix]

http://www.performers.net/library/tt-streetperform.html

http://www.performers.net/library/tt-hatlines.html

http://www.performers.net/library/rb-how.html

[scot]

Try to coinvolge people immediately. The normal technique is to make people know that a show is going to happen. Stop them first, then do the show, then tell them you want money.

Main entertainment value to most street acts is coinvolgement. Keep it going because they can see juggling on TV.

For your first shows, stop 6 people total. Do one quick trick and then hold out your hats. Don't go too fast. If you seem in a hurry, they'll think you are not professional.

Scot

[sikkolo]

Yes man, i mean involve, sorry for my english I find very usefull
Scot's post, and i have already read my taxitrix tutorial, really well done but don't take exactly the point to my problem.

How can i stop 6 people fromt he street without starting the show? Balloons sculpture maybe? What could i say ?

Thanks everybody for the great suggestion, i'll let you know!

[scot]

one of my favorites is, have the props out, and say, "stop" Then, tell people where to stand. Pretend to be more confident than you are and don't stop pretending for an instant.

You and your friend can also play a cd and set up props, fix each other's hair, talk to people as they go by, people will stop if you get them interested.

Baloons are a hard way to go, but it is possible. I would suggest not doing anything before the show starts.

Getting a crowd, keeping the crowd, and getting the money are the three hardest parts of street performing. I thought for a long time that you had to start the show to get a crowd. That makes it harder to do the other two things.

We can tell you the perfect way to do it, but you still won't know until you do it. Just get out on the street and start trying things out. If you do 5 minute shows with your friend, you can do like 20 a day and learn really fast.

[Arkadia]

Stoping the crowd

Scot has a great point.

You should somehow look like a bit of a goof out on the streets so that people understand that you are a performer. By placing stuff on the ground (clubs, knives, torches, babys etc.) you get the interest of paserbyers. Contact them. Tell them a show is to start. Grab a child and place him or her where you want her. Make a stage out of a rope. Ask the child to hold onto the rope. Her family will stay (hopefully) Run around and get the audience around the rope. Start the show. It helps if you have some really crazy things placed at the ground. A chainsaw do all the talking. Knives work. The best is personality, but few are blessed with that.

Hope it helps.

/Ark

[miquee]

ciao sikkolo,
if you go to bologna on saturday or sunday afternoon its usually full of performers, some experienced some not. or if you come to torino on sunday piazza castello if full of performers as well (including me) also, italy is full of buskers festivals during the summer. there's a book put out called kermesse that lists the festivals. if you any questions on where to perform in italy send me an email and i'll let you know.... also stai attento di un ragazzo chiama marco che fa un spettacolo con un bici smontabile... e un testa di cazzo e lui sempre prova di non condividere la piazza... oh wait i should write that english as well for travelers... there's a guy named marco who does a show with a bike that comes apart into different types of unicycles... he tries to not share pitches, is a total prick, and i'm and one of many that have had a problem with him... i saw him do a two and a half hour show after agreeing to do only half hour cuz there were a few people who wanted to use the pitch.
ci vedremo nelle piazze... mike

[Danny Hustle]

Hi sikkolo,

Correct me if I am wrong but it sounds like you and your friend have learned to do some very cool things, juggle 5 balls, ride uni, etc.

You also seem to say, you go out on the street and start to juggle 5 balls, people watch for a couple of minutes and then go away.

To me this sounds like you have developed all of the physical skills but have not put together a show.

To a person on the street seeing someone juggle even 12 balls is something that to them is interesting, briefly.

This kind of display in and of itself is just something that will make them stop and say, "Hey look at that. That is kind of neat. Where is the Starbucks?"

The skill is only mildly amusing. You now have to build a show with a beginning, a middle, and an end, that uses these skills. You need to be entertaining as well as skillful.

If you are already at this point and have a "show" I apologize but reading your post it sounded like something I have seen quite a bit. It sounds like what I did when I first went out. I had a bunch of cool tricks and no show to string them together.

If you would like some examples and a place to get some ideas about building a show I would suggest Charlie Frye's Eccentricks videos. They are available at http://www.charliefrye.com

All of the routines he teaches on these videos are complete, professional, routines.

Once you have the "show" the mechanics of getting them to stop, stay, and pay, will make more sense and come a lot easier.

The BEST stuff I have seen on this available to you for free on the internet is Taxi Trix articles right here in the P-Net library.

http://www.performers.net/library/index.html

Read it all but for me the most valuable stuff I got was from the Taxi articles. The guy is just brilliant.

Best,

Dan-

[sikkolo]

Thanks Danny,
I can ride unycicle in a really precarious way, and also i can Juggle 5 balls only for a little time (i am working on this, just 1 or 2 month and I will own them). So my technical skills aren't so great.

But you get the point, i would like to make a real "show" I think the website you suggest me could be very usefull for that.

I have already read TAxiTricks articles in the library, but i can't still image how "my show" could be. I have no idea about how to start it, and i don't know i can do it in front of several people... I am very embarrass!!!

I also don't know what type of dress I should use, and so on.

I will watch the videos, and i will let you know... Aren't there on internet some full show videos like those, or some written storyboard for a show? I don't wont to copy someone else work, me and my friends have a lot of immagination but we don't know how to apply it for making a show.

Thanks for your help, i will write here if there is some progress!
Any links, videos or text files, are very appreciated!

Speak you,
Luca

[Danny Hustle]

Hmmm...

Jim Cellini has put out a bunch of videos on how to be a street performer called "The Art of Street Performing"



The first video in that series might be very helpful to you. It talks about dress, and gives you some lines to use, and shows you examples from a bunch of street acts.

This might be just what you are looking for if you want examples of how the other guys draw, keep, and get a crowd to pay.

Making your tricks flow into routines is also very important. Finding a way to connect them together and connect you with the audience.

Because you are working as a variety act, in the round, without a stage, the best performers do a show with their audience and not to them or in front of them if you understand what I mean.

I have not been performing all that long myself and these are the things I still find myself working on constantly.

Getting out and seeing how the other guys do it, asking questions, and just doing it yourself is really the only way to learn.

Just don't give up!

Best,

Dan-