Busking and Street Performing

Busking and street performing are really two names for the same thing. What exactly does it mean? Well, it’s performing in public and usually soliciting money for your performance. In my entire “juggling career”, the most fun I’ve had is performing in the streets. I’ve done formal shows before where a group of us got hired to do paid performances for various different events but nothing compares to going out in public and winging it!

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I had the opportunity to do this because I attended a high school called St. Gregory’s Academy near Scranton, PA. While there I met others who juggled and we formed a group called The Assorted Nuts.

We did all kinds of shows but we had the most fun in the streets. While we were raising money for our plane tickets for the Camino de Santiago in Spain and Portugal, we would juggle at stop lights and ask people for donations from their cars.

The response we received was surprisingly positive! I think that people are generally willing to donate a little bit of money for a good cause or at least to be entertained.

It sounds a little off the wall to be juggling at stop lights, but it’s refreshing compared to people who stand there and shake cups for money.

If you think that you would be interested in street performing, a great reference is Performers.net. This site contrains a wealth of information from exprienced street performers. There is a library of information that contains many good suggestions. There is also a forum where you can actually find information on gigs and festivals.

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