Friday, August 14, 2015

Buskers In The Act

Today I am starting off my series from the buskers festival, held on Sparks Street at the beginning of August. I photographed several of the buskers, though not all of them, over the course of the weekend. Where possible, I'll provide links for a performer's site or Facebook page.

This annual festival brings in many buskers and draws a crowd. This first busker goes by the name Jaardu. A magician with a good slight of hand, he was in the midst of a trick when I took this shot. It involved several empty paper bags on the table, while one extra bag hides a spike mounted on a wooden base. The woman he drew out of the audience had moved the bags around while he was blindfolded, and he was busy at this point slapping each bag in turn- ending up not having a hand impaled. His website is here.


Two stilt walkers were making their way down the street at one point. I took several shots of them, but it's the expressions of the kids they're approaching that made this shot work for me.


Paz is this busker's professional name, and his act revolves around the game of hockey. He juggles and does a good number of other tricks through his act, all while bantering with the audience. I photographed him during a couple of occasions over the weekend, and he got a great laugh from the audience by remarking on how the Maple Leafs juggle hockey pucks- and then placing each puck on the ground and picking them up very slowly. He can be found on Facebook.


This colourful pair of performers are billed as the Flying Dutchmen; one is Dutch and the other Canadian. Busking requires a good deal of audience participation, and these two certainly had that in hand. They asked a young boy and a man to join them, and did a trick involving a spinning ball on a finger. The ball kept spinning on the boy's finger for twenty seconds. On the other hand, the man's finger just couldn't keep it spinning that long. Here's a link to their Facebook page.

37 comments:

  1. If busking is well-done, it's very enjoyable. Looks like you found the good acts!

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  2. I like photographing Buskers as well when I see them. See what you mean about the kid made the photo

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  3. Seems like a fine event. Greetings!

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  4. Summer is full of events, I like that, always something to see on the street.

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  5. Just like in medieval times. :-)

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  6. These Flying Dutchmen are an excellent photo-op!

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  7. some one has interesting tastes in clothing. ha. ha!! next color palettes or combos. ( :

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  8. Oh how fantastic William, must have been so much fun to see the different acts.. I keep missing our big buskers competition you've just reminded me to check the date :)

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  9. Looks like a great event with so many things going on. I always find stilt walking amazing!

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  10. Buskers add a certain vibrancy to a city! Great photos.

    Janis
    GDP

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  11. look like a very entertaining bunch!

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  12. I wonder if they make enough money to last through winter?
    Jane x

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  13. There are many amazing buskers out there. I'm amazed that we only see them at festivals. You've shown a very colorful scene.

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  14. It's always fun to see these guys perform.

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  15. I wonder is the buskers a new term? Til this past year I always knew them as street performers.

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  16. @Halcyon: and much more to come.

    @Bill: I was going to go with a second shot I took of them, but I took a good look at this one, and that did it for me.

    @Blogoratti: it's a whole lot of fun.

    @Marianne: we've got a lot of festivals here through the summer.

    @Revrunner: just with more torches.

    @VP: they certainly were!

    @Beth: a lot of the buskers were very colourfully dressed, yes. Not all of them, mind you!

    @Grace: I know some of them make the rounds around the world. At least two of them who were featured here are over in Edinburgh right now for a street festival.

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  17. @Nancy: I think these were locals- I may have photographed them before if they are locals.

    @Janis: thank you!

    @Tex: they certainly were.

    @Jane and Chris: I think the good ones manage, and probably seek out warmer climates for performing during the winter. In terms of the amount of practicing and work that does go into it, it's pretty much a full time job.

    @Red: and it's a pleasure to see them at festivals.

    @Sharon: it definitely is.

    @Birdman: I think it's more of a British term than American used. The word itself has its origins in continental Europe.

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  18. This looks like a fun festival! Wish we had them down here!

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  19. It is such fun to see them and they attract such crowds!

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  20. Makes me want to have a buskers festival...

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  21. We have a very good Buskersfest here (Dundas), but you have a wider street, with more room to get a good shot/view of the buskers. They are so entertaining.

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  22. What fun. I would love to see this festival.

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  23. @Cheryl: you may have to keep an eye on the entertainment pages for your nearest large city.

    @RedPat: they certainly do, yes.

    @EG: it was a delight to see them.

    @Ciel: wait until you see the final two posts in this series. I'm looking forward to your reaction!

    @Hamilton: I've heard there's one down there.

    @Norma: it really is!

    @Linda: indeed!

    @Stuart: I love seeing it each year.

    @Marleen: I actually have another Dutch act coming up in this series.

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  24. I have never seen anything like this before, and it looks like a whole lot of fun. Not sure I could watch the man with the spikes though :)

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  25. A buskers festival, what a brilliant idea....

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  26. Oh this is great. I seen my first Buskers Fes in Kingston, Ontario Canada
    about 20 years ago.

    Apparently they were the first to step out they said in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. While we talked to each one on the street. They said they would go to Toronto and then spread out everywhere. So I am glad they have. I was in one of their pictures with three guys back then. Was a real night of entertainment and it was a weekend time for all. Great your showing yours.

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  27. What a fun weekend that must have been!

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  28. I've never been to something like this before. Thanks for posting about it.

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  29. This looks like so much fun. Buskers have always been marginalized when I've seen them in the U.S. - half looking over their shoulders expecting to be told to move on.

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  30. Wonderful to see so many different acts close to another.

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  31. There is a knack to the banter. They have to be people persons, and comedians!

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  32. @Denise: it is fun!

    @Geoff: I love seeing it each year.

    @Carolann: they're a treat to watch.

    @Mari: it was.

    @Whisk: you're welcome.

    @Kay: that doesn't happen here.

    @Jan: it is indeed.

    @Shelly: it is!

    @Jennifer: true!

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