Shutter On The Street

Spring has come and so have the buskers. Performers who are protected from the weather, like in the subways of New York, go year round. But here in Baltimore, aside from a few determined performers who don’t let a little cold slow them down, there is a season to it.
For me, the season kicks off with the Harborplace Street Performer auditions. This event was held last weekend on a beautiful, albeit windy, April day. Prospective performers looking to be put on the 2009 schedule perform a 5-10 minute show before a panel of judges. The applicants this year ranged from clowns, jugglers, musicians, and a balancing act. The crowds were supportive and enjoyed the variety of acts. The festivities were MC’d by the great Jerry Rowan. As a seasoned performer, he did a great job of building up a crowd for the auditioning performers to work with.
One of the first acts I saw that day was a young auditioning female juggler, Laura Ernst. The high winds were tough on her juggling act but she did finish with a rather unique gimmick; she invited a person from the crowd to come and stand on her mid section while she did a back bend. It was a bit of out the ordinary but did a good job of helping me to remember her act.

Just wanted to put a note out there to all my visitors.  The project is currently on hiatus during the cold winter months but will return in the near future as the ice on the trees begins to melt and the trees and flowers start to bloom and the tourists come out to be entertained by the buskers once again.

This week I have another guest writer, Ms. Courtney.  She’s a big fan of the performing street arts and is always game for a trip downtown to watch a few shows.  Pictured below is Jonathan Burns, a great juggler, contortionist, and comedian.

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To me this is amazing!! I have never seen anyone else be able to do this. Everyone says I’m thin but I’m sure I can’t fit inside a toilet seat. It’s hard to believe that people give there whole life to entertaining people on the street, that’s true dedication! As i am sitting here i still can’t believe that he is that flexible to move his arms in that position. You have got to practice a lot to be able to do that and not get stuck. I have seen him perform and many other performers, I love how they keep the crowds attention the whole show. And all different kinds of people are drawn to these performers. To me it’s a place where everyone comes together. All cultures, races, ages, and personalities. Well that’s my say on this photo and these performers. Thanks for reading.

Natalia used to freelance (play without a permit) on the streets of New York City.  The cold winter and rain encouraged her to move underground into the subway system where the weather was consistent.  Playing without a permit meant that Natalia was subject to the nuisance of tickets and fines.  She didn’t mind the small fines but when she received a $150 fine for having a “weapon”, she filed down her saw and sought out the permit.  While she appreciated the freedom offered to her by not having a permit, she enjoys the stability and consistency offered by the permit.  Today, Natalia can be seen playing in various subway stations Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 12-3pm.

Evan Young and Jonathan Burns are two of the youngest acts performing at Baltimore’s Inner Harbor but they are also two of the classiest acts I’ve met.  In an effort to raise funds for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, Evan and Jonathan combined forces for a series of shows throughout the day donating their tips to help soldiers who have been injured in combat.

The weekend at the beach was very successful. I met a mix of interesting performers on the boardwalk of Ocean City and even got to catch up with some old favorites. Look for the photographs from that trip to show up in a few weeks.

It’s time for another entry from my good friend and fellow photog Steph.  I heard a lot of good feedback from the last time she wrote so it’s a real treat to have her add her two cents and experience to this performer profile.

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While the audience rumbled with gasps of disgust, I was filled with complete amazement at the unbelievable flexibility of Mr. Jonathan Burns. All I could think was, “This guy is like a rubber band in human form!”

After squeezing into a slightly-too-small red coverall, Jonathan Burns captivates his audience with feats of incredible flexibility. Jonathan’s awkward demeanor is entertaining, but misleading once you experience his talent and unique abilities.

To wrap up his show of bending, twisting, and contorting, Jonathan manages to squeeze his entire body through a toilet seat, known affectionately as “The Hoop of Destiny”…a very impressive, very uncomfortable, mind-boggling finale.

I’m headed to the beach for the holiday weekend and it’s fitting that I wrap up this series of Boardwalk Buskers with one of my favorite entertainers on the walk, Boardwalk Bill.

This is Bill’s first year busking. He’s been a long time performer with children’s shows and other gigs but a car accident left him unable to carry his equipment any longer so he has moved his joy of entertaining to the street with a scooter. Bill is incredibly charismatic and really loves what he does. During holiday weekends, Bill will spend 10 hours or more working the boardwalk for tips.

Guitarist Robert Prasley plays softly into the setting sun.  The boardwalk’s inlet amusement park serves as his backdrop and the gentle sea breeze as his accompaniment.  Roberts playing is soft and smooth, a perfect compliment to the laid back atmosphere provided by the scenery and weather.

The boardwalk of Ocean City, MD is home to many musicians who play to entertain the roving crowds of tourists.  The boardwalk is 2.5 miles in length so it offers plenty of space for street performers.  On this day alone, I met five performers, all of which were very friendly and entertaining.

Roy plays a steel resonator guitar which has a great sound, especially when complimented with Roy’s raspy voice.  He was a little leery of me and putting a camera in his face but we talked for a while after I was done shooting and he’s a really nice guy.  He’s been playing the guitar since the 70’s and has been on the boardwalk for the last ten years.

This week I decided to invite my friend Steph to guest blog.  She is another talented photog that I know and she comes along with me on most of my adventures.  I asked her to give her impression of the performer for this week’s post (because I was too busy drowning myself in Sam Adam’s Summer Ale but also because she’s a very talented photographer and writer).

This young man was by far the most inspiring street performer we found in Boston during this week Shawn and I have been here. We stumbled upon this musician in the Old State House subway station on our way back to the hotel.

When we first entered the station the faint sound of a saxophone was luring us further on. Unfortunately, a train was pulling into the station and it was our ride home. With just a glance, we decided we would stay to hear more and Shawn would take a few photos. After the train passed, Koga Rite announced that he would be playing a few traditional Zimbabwean songs on an unfamiliar instrument called an mbira. The sound was incredible and was made even more pleasant sounding when Koga began singing along. After gathering a small crowd of folks who skipped trains to stay and listen to him, he sang his rendition of Sade’s “By Your Side” with musical accompaniment. Koga is a very talented musician and I only wish we had had more time to to talk with him.

Of course, it was most interesting when an older gentlemen who was asking everyone he saw for money for food, sat down a little further down the bench and lit up a cigarette. Voicing through the mic that we all want a little clean air Koga eventually asked the man to stop smoking. As we were finally boarding the train, the man walked over to Koga and I heard “If I give you like $7 will you leave?” And as the train was pulling out of the station, I saw Koga reach into his case and fish out a few bucks to give to the smoking man.