ContactJuggling.org

Hey guys,
At school we have a schoolcabaret every 2 years, and a few weeks ago I did an audition (One year too late but whatever). And everyone loved it, it turned completely silent and jaws started dropping ^^
So now I have been accepted and I''m practicing very hard every day.
i have a 5 min performance and it defenitely wont be any tricks you guys can't do, but I'm very happy, and it feels awesome to see the way people respond to it.

here in our country busking is ilegal you need to get permit. so when i to go out in public to practise. i practise on cementery coz theres no park near us

well having a permit doesn't mean it's not busking anymore... wouldn't that just be busking with a permit?

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www.billybellew.com
http://www.youtube.com/billybellewcj
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Also, it's just playing if you don't have a tip jar out.

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You control the inertia, it doesn't control you.

when i go out in public to perform i never get anything people here are cheap they just watch and ask are you a magician or fortuneteller. but for me its good to perform in public like they say one performance is equal to one week of practise

Yesterday, when practicing in the park near my school, I had two elderly couples stop about 200 feet away and watch, then walk a little bit, stop and watch some more. It was kinda nice.

About 20 minutes later, I'm trying to find a shadier place to practice and this woman is staring at me super intently (I was walking around with my practice ball in the 3F cradle). I stop, she's still walking and still staring, do a PERFECT butterfly and the lady trips and falls on her face. I helped her up and asked if she was alright. She said, "I'm fine but you really shouldn't do that in public... Someone could get hurt."

It took every ounce of willpower I had not to laugh when she fell, when she said that, I lost it and replied, "People won't get hurt if they watch where they are going." She laughed, said thanks, and that was that.

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It's not true contact unless you're naked.

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You control the inertia, it doesn't control you.

Not too funny or anything, but I was in a park busking for my first time, and a group of teenage girls walks by. I don't notice them until one yells "oh look! Its David Bowie!"

referring to labyrinth.

Had a fun performance Saturday night, got to perform for a masquerade ball. Also was my first time making a leather mask. I've painted ones before, but this one I made completely from scratch of my own design. Turned out cool, I'll try to get a picture up. Anyway, it was a fundraiser for a theatre group that my niece and nephew are in. Formal dress, tux's and such. First time performing in a full tuxedo, definitely a little constrained. And the fact that I was 5 foot up on a platform in the middle of a round seating bench was a little nerve-racking. But everyone loved it, and it was a really fun night, and at least a few people that spoke to me afterwards sounded very interested in learning. And for me it was kinda nice, cause it forced me to focus on isolation type stuff (I tend to favor body/arm roll/butterfly stuffs), since it was a bit too dangerous to risk accidentally dropping a 4 inch acrylic on someones head from about 8 feet up.

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It's not about rules... its about play

That sounds like it was a blast!

On mine yesterday... I got a lot of positive feedback on how cool it looked. I didn't get tipped, but I understand. The event was WAY overpriced. Anyway, I got interviewed by some college journalism students for a project they are doing. They said it won't be on youtube or anything, but oh well. I gave a brief summary of what it is, where to learn and a Moschen mention. I also got to meet a really nice poi spinner who took a picture for me and I returned the favor. I finally have proof that I busked.

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You control the inertia, it doesn't control you.

After seeing another contact juggler performing on the South bank yesterday, and with the EJC coming up next week, I decided it was time to give the whole busking thing a try - more for the experience rather than the money (which was just as well ).

My only act of preparation was the purchase of a hat

As for how it went... well it was an interesting experience even if I'm not quite sure how I feel about. The South bank can get quite busy at the weekends, and since was my first attempt at this sort of thing I deliberately turned up early whilst it was still quiet. Of course it meant that there were fewer people around, but there was less pressure as a result.

I was there for about an hour and a quarter. I would probably have gone on longer, but one thing I noticed as I performed was that I stuck to the limited set of moves that I can perform with a high degree of confidence. It's still a broad enough range that I can put on a good show - but it turned out to have an unexpected side effect. When I practice, I tend to focus on a particular move for 5 or 10 minutes then move on to something else. Performing I was repeating a several minute long set of moves over and over. And it began to ache. My left shoulder in particular - not too much of a suprise. I'm a lefty and since I'm stronger with that arm, I was was favouring it much more than I would whilst practicing. It's the reason why I stopped when I did - it was becoming increasingly painful.

Rating myself technically, I think I actually did pretty well. I didn't drop at all, my fumbles were rare, and I'm confident that I was much slower and smoother than my first performance at the wedding a couple of months back. Plenty of scope for improvement, but a good start I'd say.

Where I did struggle was attracting people's attention. This is where I started to realise how much of an art there is to busking beyond technical ability. Crowd mechanics are just fascinating. Like attracts like - as soon as a couple of people stop, more will quickly follow, but I found just getting the first couple to stop to be rather tricky. And even once a small crowd had built, it was still fragile, often dissipating as quickly as it formed.

I think music is probably a key component here. At least in attracting attention and providing people with the idea of a beginning and an end. I had some small speakers with me, but they couldn't begin to compete with the amps of other performers nearby and I soon turned them off. It was also difficult to keep attention when other performers are shouting for people to come and watch and building their audience. I'm not a natural shouter If I do this again, I'll be tempted to invest in a small amp.

What else happened of note? I think there were at least 3 incidents of small boys (always boys) telling their parents "I know how it's done. It's just a trick" - I feel for those of you where such children have been given the added ammunition of fushigi.

My total taking for the 75 minutes was £11.81. I don't have anything to compare it to, so for a first try during a quiet period I wasn't too disappointed, even if I had hoped to cover the cost of the hat (£14). So much so that I actually went back later and made another £4 pounds. It took about 20 minutes - busier time, plus a slightly better spot away from other performers. Again I would have gone on longer, but I was still feeling a twinge in my shoulder and decided not to risk it. I'm happy that I made a net profit though.

By way of reference, other performers I spoke to said that Nico makes around £300 a day when he's there. He's a marvel to watch though - all he has to do to build a crowd is simply stand still for minute. People just flock to him.

My mixed feelings about the day stem from the fact that it felt different to me. There were different expectations from myself and those watching me. The act of doing it for money took something away from contact juggling for me. Perhaps it was the fact that I was restricting my moves - I didn't have the same sort of freedom I do when I'm practicing. I'm not sure - it's something I'm struggling to articulate.

Anyway. That was my day.

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"Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done! There is mischief to have. There are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all."

But now you are not practicing your moves, you are practicing your performance. You have just crossed over into a new realm of contact juggling which requires even more practice in itself. You can't just practice in front of an audience, you have to perform in front of them. You need to take all the moves you know, and learn how to make them look more attractive.

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www.billybellew.com
http://www.youtube.com/billybellewcj
www.facebook.com/wbellew
www.myspace.com/billybellew

+1

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It's not true contact unless you're naked.

some people have been saying "you're facial expressions are as priceless as the actual juggling" which was a surprise to me, I didn't know I pair my facial expressions from moves. I believe I have developed them over the last 5 years of street performing without even realizing it... it's just what I trained.

Good story Marc!
The kids were always funny (OCCJD-Ed's "its a string" was the best I have on tape of that), now they think they know it all!

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www.dawndreams.ca
www.thebuskingproject.com
https://twitter.com/#!/dawn_dreams

Yes, the faces are very important. Anyone interested in performing MUST videotape your routines / fave sequences... I'd been performing for about a year before I realized I was sticking my butt out in a funny way... plenty more performance photos showed me some truly ridiculous circus faces. Conversely, practicing your posture - including facial expressions - allows for a greater depth of audience response; due to biofeedback, you are largely in control of what your viewers are feeling.

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http://www.gravitydefiance.net