Re: Busking

Read these articles:

'The Art of Juggling in Performance'
(http://www.jugglingdb.com/articles/?id=47)
'An Introduction to Street Performance'
(http://www.jugglingdb.com/articles/?id=40)
'Creating a Juggling Act'
(http://www.jugglingdb.com/help/?category=49)
'Busking and Performing on the Street'
(http://www.jugglingdb.com/help/?category=57)

Good luck,
Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

--
JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists

'6th Annual LBI Unithon - Sat, June 5, 2004'
(http://jjuggle.unicyclist.com/lbiunithon)

Ich bin hier,
Und du bist mein Sofa.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
JJuggle's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/24
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/32710

busking is a weird thing. some days youll get 500$ for a show, and some
days, you'll get 10 bucks. from the little bit of experience i have,
its definitely not your juggling or unicycling skills that get you the
money. its your stage presence and ability to keep the audience
entertained by other means. it really takes work to perfect those
skills. im not sure on the legalities really, but often its illegal in
places where you think it shouldnt be. so try to talk to someone about a
site youve found. thats all i really have to say.

Kevin ,good luck with it.

--
tugboat - Street Unier named Kevin

"You won't get hurt if you land it!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------
tugboat's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/3298
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/32710

I think you ask the council, or whatever, of the place you want to busk
in, then they set a time and see your act and decide whether it's worth
letting you busk.

--
Robbie - Spoons Taste Good

Jacinto is the king.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Robbie's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/5302
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/32710

By the way, 'Drawing a Circle in the Square: Street Performing in New
York's Washington Square Park' (http://tinyurl.com/2f972) is an
excellent book on primarily the culture but also the technique's of
street performing.

It is also available on 'Amazon UK' (http://tinyurl.com/3bf33). (I get a
browser error for this link. If it doesn't work, just do a search at
Amazon UK for the title. It's there).

Cheers,
Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

--
JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists

'6th Annual LBI Unithon - Sat, June 5, 2004'
(http://jjuggle.unicyclist.com/lbiunithon)

Ich bin hier,
Und du bist mein Sofa.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
JJuggle's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/24
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/32710

I've done quite a lot of busking, but never on a unicycle. So I'll pass
on what tips I have.

- Check the legality in the specific area you're busking, it totally
depends on local laws... Oxford and York you're find in, Birmingham
you aren't, bits of London you are, and other bits you aren't.
- This one's a bit difficult with a uike, but make sure that at all
times you can easily close or pick up your money box - the last thing
you want is to busk all day and someone to nick the contents.
- Check out where other people busk before you go - find a good pitch
and make sure you aren't starting a turf war.
- Have one or two killer tricks that get the money rolling in - get a
good crowd up, do a killer trick, get the money in, and then have a
break.
- With reference to the last one - have plenty of breaks, and a bottle
of water about the place, if you are tired and not performing well
people won't pay you.

Hope these help

Bob

--
beelsebob2
------------------------------------------------------------------------
beelsebob2's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/4787
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/32710

I used to busk in and around Nottingham in about 1983/4, playing music,
but not using the harmonica. A couple of times, i did fire eating
too.

Do you mean "busking" or "streat entertainment"? A busker stands there
and plays an instrument or sings, or quietly gets on with a bit of
juggling and waits for the money to go in the hat from people passing
by. A street entertainer occupies an area of ground and puts on a show,
encouraging people to stop, watch and pay.

The difference is important, because England's laws are enforced only
sporadically, and occasionally with a surprising degree of common sense.
So if you aren't blocking the main thoroughfare, intimidating anyone,
creating a public nuisance, or actively begging for money, the worst you
will usually get is being asked to move on. On the other hand, if you
mark out an arena with a 50 footlength of rope, address members of the
public directly and loudly, blow 6 foot spouts of flame, and run round
the front of the crowd with a hat demanding payment (be it ever so
jocularly!) you might end up upsetting a Bobby.

Then you have to be sensitive to the place. In Nottingham, it's OK to
busk in the subways (pedestrian underpasses), and on certain shopping
streets. You wouldn't get away with it in the Market Square, or outside
a municipal building. If you are somewhere touristy (and I guess Oxford
falls into that category), and somewhere where there may be lots of
other potential buskers (e.g. a major university city...) then the rules
might be enforced a bit more rigorously.

If you ask for permission and it's refused, then you are in trouble if
you get caught doing it. if you don't ask, and you get caught, you may
well get away with a reprimand. (Ignorance of the law is no excuse, but
genuine well meaning ignorance coupled with a polite show of imbecility
can help.)

And if there are regular busking "pitches" in your area, don't muscle
in. Some buskers do it for a living, not just for a hobby.

Good luck.

--
Mikefule - Roland Hope School of Unicycling

Well, it all depends on what you mean by "semantics".
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mikefule's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/879
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/32710

Thanks for all the advice. 🙂

There are a lot of buskers and street traders on Cornmarket in Oxford
and I don't think they get too much trouble. I suppose the best bet
there would just be to go and ask one of them sometime.

I hear what you're saying about having a proper show worked out being
much better than just standing there juggling or whatever, but I think
that's what I'll probably start off with until I get a bit more
confident with it all, and then work out a show.

--
theamazingmolio - A Unicylist, a juggler, and a prat

Luke Duller ([email hidden])
Never trust anything you read on the internet
------------------------------------------------------------------------
theamazingmolio's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/5931
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/32710

I have previously busked on the Cornmarket in Oxford (you might have
seen me playing my pipes last year) - you'll have no problem from the
police - busking is legal in Oxford. What you may have trouble with is
other buskers. Buskers in Oxford I've found to be VERY territorial, and
if you accidentally get one of their spots, you're in trouble.

Having said that, it is a very very good place to busk, I've made about
£150 an hour on Cornmarket St before.

Bob

--
beelsebob2
------------------------------------------------------------------------
beelsebob2's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/4787
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/32710

tugboat said:

*its definitely not your juggling or unicycling skills that get you
the money. its your stage presence and ability to keep the audience
entertained by other means. *

This is probably the most important bit of information for someone
starting out. Watch other performers. You may notice that the best ones
do not necessarily do any really hard tricks, but they make the audience
laugh or build up great stories.

In unicycling, when speaking of just tricks, you'll find you get 0-3%
applause for coasting, or other real hard tricks, and90-130% applause
for relatively easy stuff like jumping rope. Same applies to juggling.
You juggle three clubs while idling, a smattering of applause. You pick
up a dropped club from the ground, the applause will be bigger.

But you can make that club pickup response even bigger by "playing it."
It's all about the show.

--
johnfoss - Walkin' on the edge

John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
"jfoss" at "unicycling.com"
www.unicycling.com

"if you can do balloon animals,you can lace your own wheel." -- Jagur
------------------------------------------------------------------------
johnfoss's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/832
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/32710

JJuggle said:

Read these articles:

'The Art of Juggling in Performance'
(http://www.jugglingdb.com/articles/?id=47)
'An Introduction to Street Performance'
(http://www.jugglingdb.com/articles/?id=40)
'Creating a Juggling Act'
(http://www.jugglingdb.com/help/?category=49)
'Busking and Performing on the Street'
(http://www.jugglingdb.com/help/?category=57)

Good luck,
Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

These are some links posted by Raphael

--
lpounds

'Levi' (http://tinyurl.com/6l5fmr)
'Photos'
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/25192939@N06/)
'Unicycle' (

)
'Juggle'
(

)
'EGG'
(

)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
lpounds's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/15958
View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/32710

Posted Via Usenet.com Premium Usenet Newsgroup Services
----------------------------------------------------------
http://www.usenet.com