The Art of the Street Performer: A blog on street performing and how they do it.

Bongo Joe is one of the original Street Performers of Galveston, Texas. He has been performing in the streets for more than 30 years, amassing a cult-like following from around the world. His performances are uniquely spontaneous and can last anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. Bongo Joe is a legend in Galveston and his story is one that should be told.

The documentary will focus on Bongo Joe’s life as a street performer and explore the history of busking in Galveston, Texas. Through interviews with Bongo Joe, fellow buskers, and local historians, we will hear about the early days of street performing in Galveston. We will explore what made Galveston unique as a place for street performers to hone their craft, why it inspired some of America’s most treasured street performers (including Bongo Joe), why they all came here and why they stayed. The film will also look at how times have changed over the past fifty years and what has become of Galveston Island as a place for street performers to perform.

StreetPerformerForHire.com-The Art of the Street Performer

I am a street performer. I make my living on the streets, busking in the subway, performing magic and juggling for tips. This blog is about how I do it and about other street performers too.

I like to write about street performers, people who perform on the streets for money. It’s a financially difficult life but it’s fun, a lot of fun. But it can be risky too. Injuries are always a possibility and there are also times when you play and no one stops to watch or give any money. The reality is that this is not an easy way to earn money but it can be very rewarding nevertheless.

If you’ve ever thought about becoming a street performer then this blog is for you or at least I hope it will be interesting to you. If you’re already a busker then I hope you’ll share your experiences here so we can all learn from each other.

This blog is meant to be a community where street performers (buskers) talk about their experiences, both good and bad, so we can all learn from each other’s stories and improve our skills as entertainers and our ability to earn money doing what we love.

One thing I love to do is talk with street performers. Here in San Francisco there are a lot of great ones, but my favorite is Bongo Joe. He has been performing his show for over 30 years and still keeps it going. I was lucky enough to be able to film an interview with him and even more lucky that he actually answered some questions about his performance. So now you can see for yourself what it takes to do a show like this.

I was also able to film another performer named Ed the Hat. His show is a little different from Bongo Joe’s, but it is just as entertaining. His piano playing skills are amazing and he does some incredible stunts on the piano too! So take a look at these guys and maybe you will be inspired to start playing music on the street too!

What is your favorite street performer?

Street performers are a popular act in many cities. A street performer is someone who works on the street, usually with a performing art such as playing music or improvising theatre. Some performers do this as a hobby while others make their living. Street performers can be amateurs or professionals.

In some countries, such as the UK, street performance is not just tolerated but encouraged, and in some cases such as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe it is an integral part of the cultural scene. But in other countries, including the United States, street performance is illegal if it interferes with traffic. In Hawaii, busking (street performing) is prohibited by law.

In cities where public transportation has been replaced by cars, there are few opportunities for street performers to make money from passersby; however, buskers are sometimes allowed to perform at subway or railroad stations. In the United States, cities have been encouraged to pass laws that ban street performance in most places; such efforts have largely succeeded in San Francisco and New York City despite attempts by musicians and acrobats to resist these efforts by asserting their right to free speech under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Street performing is often practiced all over the world by men, women, and children of all ages;

So you want to be a street performer? First, there are a few things you should know.

1. You will be ignored by most passersby.

This is the primary difference between street performing and other gigs. Even if a person is enjoying themselves, they won’t stop to watch you because they feel that they have better things to do or just don’t care to see some “dumb show” in the street. You need to get their attention, even if it’s for a split second. If you can do that then maybe they’ll stop. But even if they stop, that doesn’t mean they’ll stay. They’ll keep walking unless something about your act makes them want to stay and watch more of it.

2. You will not make much money at first (maybe none, ever).

Street performing is not easy money. It takes time and practice before you can attain the skill level required for people to throw you money with no expectation of anything in return. The more talented you are, the more people will watch you and give generously out of respect for your performance and hard work.

3. Don’t expect anyone to help you get started.

You must figure this out on your own…

I’ve learned a great deal in my years as a busker. The first five years were more about learning the ropes and learning what works for me, but once I was out there long enough to have my routines down pat, I began to notice something.

The difference between the good buskers and the bad buskers is that the good ones have their act together and the bad ones don’t.

This seems obvious, but it’s worth saying anyway because sometimes people see a good street performer and think that they’re just lucky or talented or something. The truth is that most of them are just hard workers who know what they’re doing. They practice every day and they have their act together. It’s not rocket science – it’s just work.

Becoming a street performer is not as easy as it looks. You can have some of the most amazing juggling tricks, but if you don’t know how to work your audience and make some money doing it, then you’re just a guy with some balls.

Performers who take it seriously can make a lot of money by “passing the hat.” If they are good they may even get hired by cruise ships or other venues that pay pretty well.

If you want to get into this kind of thing, here are some tips: