Busking Pitches

**nick nickolas** · Dec-18-2010, 08:29 PM

What no Australia/NZ Mate ??

Coming down under ?

Nick

**omnigut** · Dec-19-2010, 12:51 PM

Haha - I'd love to go there. In fact, missing most of Africa and Australasia are our two biggest crimes. The problem with both was travel time; if you're avoiding planes and trying not to go back on yourself, both those areas are difficult for different reasons—one for danger, the other because it's in the middle of nowhere

**Cate Emily** · Dec-19-2010, 01:07 PM

If you're looking for a good place to stop between Chicago and San Francisco, I'd say check out Boulder CO. It's about half way and has a healthy scene. Also if you're in Montreal, I'd say swing by Quebec City. I think the street scene is better in QC than in Montreal anyway.

**Lee Nelson** · Dec-19-2010, 07:08 PM

I would recommend you solicit some information from street performers on where to go.
Africa has a giant scene and ancient culture of street performing. Aus and NZ are hotspots of contemporary western style street performing.

Honestly your tour dates seem much more like they are scratching your personal travel desires than they are really attempting to learn anything about street performing.

INDIA
Mumbai, India
New Delhi, India
Calcutta, India
April 26th - May 6th

10 days in 3 Indian cities. Indian street performers have their own guilds for fucks sake. Seriously ancient artform. Its naive at best and insulting at worst to think of doing a documentary with any sort of justice using a timeframe like yours.

Enjoy your holiday.

**omnigut** · Dec-19-2010, 08:44 PM

Originally posted by Cate Emily

If you're looking for a good place to stop between Chicago and San Francisco, I'd say check out Boulder CO. It's about half way and has a healthy scene. Also if you're in Montreal, I'd say swing by Quebec City. I think the street scene is better in QC than in Montreal anyway.

I really want to go to QC. Aside from knowing a scotch-loving and cynical Quebequois, I've also heard good things about the scene there. Still, Montreal is pretty lively. It'll depend in the end on cost and the location scouting; depending on where we can stay and who we know before turning up, we'll do one or the other.

**omnigut** · Dec-19-2010, 09:53 PM

Originally posted by Lee Nelson

I would recommend you solicit some information from street performers on where to go.
Africa has a giant scene and ancient culture of street performing. Aus and NZ are hotspots of contemporary western style street performing.

Honestly your tour dates seem much more like they are scratching your personal travel desires than they are really attempting to learn anything about street performing.

INDIA
Mumbai, India
New Delhi, India
Calcutta, India
April 26th - May 6th

10 days in 3 Indian cities. Indian street performers have their own guilds for fucks sake. Seriously ancient artform. Its naive at best and insulting at worst to think of doing a documentary with any sort of justice using a timeframe like yours.

Enjoy your holiday.

Lee, I understand your scepticism: we're missing 98% of Africa (the birth of Mankind, among other things); Australia and New Zealand, where every other travelling busker seems to be from); almost the entire Middle East, perhaps the best place in the world for a historical perspective; and exploring too little of South America.

And I’m well aware of the off-handish way Westerners treat "exotic" cultures in foreign lands. We aren’t even close to believing that we’re going to do India justice in 10 days. But with the help of Jamie Catto, whose work, 1 Giant Leap, attempted to make the world seem somewhat smaller through comparing madness, music and traditions, we hope to shed light on our societies’ cultural outputs (and restraints) by looking at those who may be less famous, less cared for, less comfortable, less protected, and yet no less valuable to society: our street artists.

Phew, what a sentence!

The problem is, when you're trying to look at the global phenomenon by hitting as broad a base as possible, it's impossible to stay in any one place for too long. And we shouldn't, either—better people than us have looked at each of the world’s metropolises.

Instead, we're hoping to build on their work, and yet be the first to attempt, however superficially, to get some kind of worldwide perspective on street performance. And to do that, we're going to rely on people like those on this site (and you!) to help us get into these places and begin to connect. As helpful as it might be, there’s only so much drink can do…

First of all we're hitting local universities, trying to find local film students who want to get involved. Through them—and other artists/performers who live or have lived in each location—we're hoping to avoid being three white, English-speaking Westerners with no clue what's going on around us.

Another main area of support is these here tubes. Forums, google, websites…people like yourself. People who can give us advice. How else are we going to find out about the guilds in India (and who we should meet) before we get there? I mean, two of us are working on the project full-time, and another one is about to start, but it's still not enough. If you could help us make the most of India, we'd be absolutely in your debt.

The same applies to everyone else. I might just be fooling myself with my own spiel, but should this project be at all successful, we have an opportunity to open people's eyes to the history, politics, issues and culture surrounding this tradition. I've filmed street performers for years, and even lived with one for 14. I’d love for the next time someone passed him in the subway they didn’t just fling a dollar at him, but did so with some respect for his work, for his career. I’m more into this project than I have been for anything else.

I’m sorry for having typed for so long here, I really didn’t mean to when I started. But please, if you have information that you think we should know – could you either post it here or email us?

- with the utmost respect

nick@thebuskingproject.com

**Kate Awesome** · Dec-20-2010, 11:16 AM

See you in Toronto!

I'm usually at Yonge & Dundas or Harbourfront.

I do agree with Lee, however; you really should at least touch on African street performing. It's an amaaaaaazing scene that I've had the pleasure to participate and be involved in myself.

**omnigut** · Dec-20-2010, 01:39 PM

Originally posted by Kate Awesome

See you in Toronto!

I'm usually at Yonge & Dundas or Harbourfront.

I do agree with Lee, however; you really should at least touch on African street performing. It's an amaaaaaazing scene that I've had the pleasure to participate and be involved in myself.

Kate, perhaps I should have come to see you when I was there (video 1, video 2). (is this you?)

And yeah, we really regret the Africa thing. We were just finding it really hard to find a method of travelling through Africa without taking planes, without doubling back on ourselves, and without spending a long, long time on busses and trains. Still, for a future trip, no doubt.

**Kate Awesome** · Dec-20-2010, 06:13 PM

AHAHA oh man, I totally forgot Brett put that video up..
yup. that's me.

I'm the Marie Antoinette statue you filmed in Toronto. You totally damn well should have come to see me, you missed a good show!

But, that's okay, you apparently overlooked all of the mime artists.

**omnigut** · Dec-21-2010, 08:46 AM

You were great. I remember we got some good photos, but no video. *sad face*

We were a little complacent on the trip. However, since then I've been enlightened, and am sure not to make the same mistake again! In fact, we just did an interview with Cady Vishniac, a living statue in Salem. It's not perfect, but it's a start...

**Kate Awesome** · Dec-21-2010, 09:18 AM

hahah no way!
I remember giving Cady start-up advice yeeeeeeears ago! nice one!

**Irina** · Jan-20-2011, 02:48 PM

If you plan to perform in Moscow - they have famous Arbat street, which is pedestrian and street artists and buskers work there, if cops bother you - just give them some small $$, all buskers in Russia bribe police...It may be better if you could find some "Peace and frienship with foreign counties" organisation there to help you and even give you place to stay - this way you'll be 'official" and have friends/interpretors there, not many Russians speak English...
There are tonns of pitches in Paris, I love Monmartre - either on top of the hill or near Carousel, nobody will bother you, but keep passport with you at all times, as they may check it to see if you entered France legally.

**omnigut** · Feb-28-2011, 08:53 AM

Hi All

Almost on our way!

Not Found

https://www.thebuskingproject.com/map

If any of you have other advice for locations on our map (especially the more exotic/non-european ones), we'd love to hear from you. 9 days until lift-off!

**omnigut** · Feb-28-2011, 09:06 AM

Sorry, I would just like to add, we're fundraising on kickstarter and still need some help...please check the link in my signature

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