Getting ready to do "Circle" instead of "Walk-by" busking, neverous and unsure &

[jeep caillouet]

Nah, the Beverly Hillbillys! And B Man thats that's Earl not lester.

[Unisykolist]

Re: New show

Originally posted by jeep caillouet
As I'm always trying to come up with something new and improved in my show, I like the idea of the 3 wheel unicycle. I don't ride one or juggle,but I do like the idea of a fat ole fart trying to ride a unicycle with training wheels. "get outta the way, help help". It can see it now,SPLASH,SQUASH, DAMN, I said get out of the way.HA HA I can see it now! I couldn't find the pictures of it, maybe you could explain where to find pictures of it again and where to buy one. What's the difficulty of riding one.Thanks

www.unicycle.com- to find picture
And the difficulty,
If you can already ride a small unicycle you need to learn, well it helps, to know how to ride a standard giraffe like a 5FT then you can just take off on a 3-wheeler but friction feels a bit funny at first.

[Unisykolist]

Update

I went "walk by" (I know again...) and busked everthing thing the same on my 3-wheeler for 2.5 hours and made $160.00

But I did get some advice from a clown that once did Magic Shows (circle busking) and his career is busking and his at the place pretty much everytime I'm there. He was saying jazz it up a bit like dress as a charachter and build up a show to the finale and attract an audience, still haven't got the balls to do this yet, and I also don't have the ACTUAL BALLS (juggling balls) because the other ones are crap and breaking. I have to get round to it soon..>.<

[Devinthejuggler]

I have recently just made this transition myself with great results.
I got a couple of tips from a very good busker friend of mine:

don't start your show too soon, don't start showing tricks until you have a wall, or a small group of 'guests'
building a crowd has been the part of my show that I have put the most energy into becuase it is by far 'in my opinion' the hardest part.

during the crowd build, its kind of the art of doing absolutely nothing but still being entertaining couple of techniques i have used with varied success are:
not saying anything (with some music playing if u have an amp) and doing mime type comedy, like some following (imitating) for some reason people think this is hilarious if you can do it well. things like for example fake hand shake where you look at someone wave, walk up to them with your hand stretched out then as they are about to go into the handshake walk straight past them.
one can be very creative with these teqniques. then once you have a couple of onlookers start to tell them the show is about to begin.

the funny thing this is all part of the show, but keep telling them the show is about to start and it hasn't started yet. your first tricks are 'just warm ups' and the show only realy begins in the middle when you start to set up your final trick (in mine and your case a trick on the massive unicycle)

have a good list of jokes that go with every trick you do, my experience is if you have a trick thats awesome and no joke to go with it people don't care really, unless its frieken amazing not just the latest siteswap that blew your mind.

keep your shows short in the beginning, working from the back to the front such as just building up your finale with a small crowd, then adding in the beginning 'warm up tricks' to build more of a crowd.

things that are essential in my opinion:
1) eye contact: make eye contact with everyone that has stopped to watch your show, hopefully while you are saying something hilarious. it's like turning on little lights in your audience, it pulls them into your world.

2) smile, if you don't look like you are enjoying yourself, your audience will find it hard to enjoy themselves.

3) don't take anything personally. when you start and you are still trying to figure out a plan and a formula that works there might be times when the audience says things(true story) like : 'is that it? is that the show?' and just walks away leaving you greatly humbled with an empty hat in your hands.

I had an experience like that on venice beach promenade last year, I thought 'what the hell are you doing? go home and find a job. i tried to do a show after these guys had just nailed a massive show that was planned out every step of the way.

4)keep a book with you and write down everything you think is remotely funny and try turn it into a gag. think about the tricks you are going to do and think about how you can say something funny about it.

5) relax and slow down. something i still have a problem with today, I want to rush through everything, and get out as many funny things as possible in the shortest possible time. people can smell fear and anxiety and it doesnt put them in a mood to watch a show.

Good luck!

Devin.

[martin ewen]

very sound advice, you have a good grasp of the important underpinnings.

[Doctor Eric]

Heh, if that's who I think it is, he learned a bit from a pretty good act.

[ddddyyyy]

Oh my best friend,I miss you every much!This forum is very good, I like, I agree with that point of view above,I support you!



Experience is the father of wisdom and memory the mother.


I agree with Unisykolist




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[kokoP]

I agree, yup good advice, Ive done my share of standard busking, which I think is called "walk by", seen the circle shows at busking festivals, is it possible to do a combination of the two?

I'm thinking of a roving clown, doing mime and crazy interactions, while playing the sax, and then setting the scene for a circle act, which includes more of the same, with a set act.

The walk by, busking I can do for hours (playing tunes), hence potentially catch more people, whereas the circle act, at this stage in my career would be 5 minutes tops, and therefore say every 20 minutes, maybe a maximum of 5 shows per outing. I intend to dress as a clown with face etc, so walk by busking might not work!

Advice please?

Maybe best is just to suck it and see how it goes, I know in my area, I do not see anyone perfoming a regular circle act, so don't know how the public would warm to it?

Whatdya rekon
Cheers & Ciao
Jimu