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Stperformer Loyal user 291 Posts |
Most of the really truly good/great buskers (magicians, jugglers, mimes, etal) I have seen, performed in many places...done a fair bit of travelling and performing thru out the world.
This is not an option for many.....and that is just fine. But do you lads think that to become a really exceptional busker, one must travel thru out this planet (different places, different continents) to gain the experience and know-how that is required? Nelson |
Chance Inner circle 1385 Posts |
Have to? No.
But does it make a difference? Absolutely. |
gallagher Inner circle 1168 Posts |
Hey Nelson,.. I guess you´ve made it home from Bremen,.. I´m kind of surprised no one´s pointed out a great artikle on this Topic by Jimmytalksalot. He wrote it, submitted it,.. and took a lot of hits for it, about two years ago.,.. here on the Magic Café, I believe.
In anycase, an interesting Artikle. I´m not sure if I agree with all of it,.. I´m not sure HE still agrees with most of it(!); but he wrote with typical `Jimmytalksalot passion and knowledge´, it´s good. If you can´t track it down,.. pm him,.. he´s still hiding out here. cold and wet in Zwickau, gallagher. |
Stperformer Loyal user 291 Posts |
Heya Gallagher,
Yes I remember a couple of articles about the subject by Jimmy/ I think they were around when he was in Barcelona(?) and London. I'll try and find 'em. I remember them as being quite passionate and good. I posted the question on the post, kinda tongue and cheek. Though I think it's a very good question that one sometimes needs to ask when qualifying the advice by other so-called 'experts'. Nel |
The Mighty Fool Inner circle I feel like a big-top tent having 2140 Posts |
There's no garuntee that travel will IMPROVE your act, but I doubt exposing yourself to several different types of situations, climates, cultures, and learning to perform in a way which overcomes a language barrier could ever HURT it.
Everybody wants to beleive.....we just help them along.
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Nak New user 68 Posts |
Travel can definitely put you in a variety of situations which is always helpful, as already mentioned. What else makes you improve? Actually making a living on it...(learned that one quickly!)
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ebusojar Regular user 126 Posts |
I'm going to go out on a limb and say traveling and working different pitches will DEFINITELY improve your act, your ability, your confidence, and (of course), your hats.
I started street performing about 7 years ago, and for about 5 years only performed in one place (the pedestrian mall in Salem, MA where I was from). I sucked. I was a pretty good magician, but even with all the reading I'd done and studying of people like Jimmy and Kozmo and Danny Hustle, I flat out sucked. Best I did was a hat of MAYBE $20 at the end of a season - and for a show I didn't feel good about (it felt like pity money...). About a year and a half ago, I was living in Spain, and decided to just go for it. I took about a month and dropped all my stuff with a family I had been staying with in Madrid, and took my proverbial bag-of-tricks through Europe (Madrid-Barcelona-Paris-London...) trying to learn how to busk. Mind you, I had no money at the time and would be living off what I made performing (I remember checking my balance in Barcelona to find something like 4.62 Euros left). I got out to a bunch of different pitches, and worked all day until I could afford a place to stay - working my show over and over and over, eventually saving enough for a bus ticket to the next city, where I'd do it all over again. The experience of performing for so many different cultures was mind-boggling. The way you learn to respond to a crowd is priceless. By the time I got to London, I was doing ok (Mostly thanks to Mat Valentine who I met there). There were plenty of nights sleeping on Bridges or pulling all-nighters when I couldn't afford a place to stay. many good people put me up for a few nights, and I'll be forever grateful, and looking to pay it forward. The moral of the story is by the time I had learned how to work in these different countries, when I got back to the ol' USA, my home turf, I was ready! I knew the language, and the customs, and what was acceptable, and the nuances, so I could pull a crowd, hold them, and hat them pretty well (my show had been cut down to a rope to set the stage, professor's nightmare, and card to mouth - talk about pack small play big!) and I was doing half circle or even full circle shows. If you can afford the time or money to travel, do it! It will pay off a thousand times. If you can't afford to travel, DO IT ANYWAYS! If you can find a way to get where you're going, street theater will help you pay your way. If any of you guys are still reading to this point, then thanks for putting up with my ramblings, and all the best on the streets! Evan
Evan Northrup
www.evannorthrup.com |
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