Entertainers celebrate busking in Key West

by Nancy La Re

They came from as far away as the Northwest Territories and from as close as Mallory Square. They came to juggle, jest and mime. They came to show off their skills and pick up some new ones. Two even came to get married. They all came to join in the First Annual Street Performers Festival / Buskerfest in Key West.

"We got preliminary responses from 55 buskers from seven different countries, but there were even more at the actual event," said Will Soto, festival director and himself a regular street performer in Mallory Square. "There were at least 25 or 30 professional jugglers here. There were people doing big star patterns, people walking ropes in the trees... incredible!"

The Buskerfest, which had been in the works for about six or seven years, was the brainchild of the Cultural Presvervation Society (CPS). The CPS was founded for the protection and preservation of street performing as an art form and important cultural profession. The CPS worked hard and long in the preparation of the five-day-Iong event, which not only made it a huge success, but also gained them partial funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the State of Florida, the Florida Arts Council, and the Monroe County Tourist Development Council.

The extravaganza, which ran from Jan. 14-18, opened with a street performer's workshop headed by San Francisco veteran buskers Ray Jason and Dana Smith. Jason gave an overview of the street performing scene in San Francisco as compared to Key West and other well-known "stages" throughout the world.

The group discussed the various problems that street performers face in different locations. Overcrowded areas seemed to be the chief complaint. Bounce the Clown, who performs his vaudeville circus act along with his partner, Mademoiselle 000 La La in both Key West and Boston, described the Mallory Square area as being "totally overwhelmed with performers."

The overwhelming crowds of performers were in strong evidence on opening night of Buskerfest at Mallory Square. The pier, which Bounce, Soto and other regulars claim does not provide enough room for their acts, hosted visiting acts from London, Connecticut, New York and elsewhere.

When the sun set over the pier, the excitement carried inside to the Jan McArt Cabaret Theatre, where the Sunset Hall of Fame awards were presented. Performances by Bounce and 000 La La, Matthew the Manipulator, and Magical Mystical Michael highlighted the program.

On each of the following days of the festival, juggling workshops were held for beginning and advanced juggling. The classes were open to the public and Were held at the Mallory Square cistern, a historical spot where the first street performers in Key West practiced and presented their talents before the advent of the Sunset Celebration. The workshops proved to be a great place for the seasoned and novice jugglers to get together and trade secrets and stories. Some of the best juggling of the entire event occurred at these impromptu gatherings.

Karl Saliter and Paul Norton, two buskers from New York and Colorado, respectively, were just a couple of the experienced people present to provide the in­struction. Jim Steffins, a part-time juggler and entertainer from Costa Mesa, Calif., said that reading about the Buskerfest in Juggler's World spurred him into taking the long trek across the country to join his peers.

"I have a 'real' job with an insurance company," said Steffins between tumbling clubs. "I'd like to get into this full­time, but I have a problem with shyness in front of crowds. I'm here hoping to pick up some pointers from the pros."

The instructors at the workshops stressed the fact that juggling is the best way to develop one's stage presence, self-confidence, and concentration skills while also improving reflexes, timing and rhythm.

After juggling class, Buskerfest offered a wide variety of other activities. At a beach party the emphasis was more on bur­ning torches than on sunburn, and a Pirate Sail included sea chants and plank walk­ing. For two days the streets in downtown Key West were blocked off to allow buskers to do what they do best, perform in the streets.

During one of the busking free-for-alls, a particularly daring feat was performed. Sandy "Sunshine" Johnson, a professional clown from Maryland, and Paul Belanger (who comes from a family of 13 jugglers) exchanged wedding vows.

"We had a choice between a family style wedding in a church or Buskerfest," said Sandy. She decided to forgo the white gown and veil in favor of her red clown overalls and size 13 high-tops.

The bride walked down an aisle formed by 14 jugglers passing clubs over her head, while the groom followed on his unicycle carrying a balloon bouquet. Mademoiselle 000 La La acted as maid of honor and played "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" on the squeezebox. Onlookers held balloon flowers and threw confetti instead of rice. Ray Jason juggled a sickle, knife and ax as a special tribute. In lieu of wedding presents, the bride and groom did the appropriate thing - they passed the hat! "I guess you'd call this a two-ring circus!" quipped the bride as Paul whisked her away on his unicycle.

After a full day of activities, the buskers' energy level and endurance was tested by a nightly itinerary of shows and parties. Of particular note was an intimate performance by Avner the Eccentric, who held a leading role in the movie "Jewel of the Nile." In addition there were appearances by sword-swallower Johnny Fox, San Francisco's Butterfly Man, and the wild and wooly World Emergency Circus.

The Key West festival got its name from the old English word "busker," which was the floppy hat worn long ago by vagabonds. They passed their hats in return for tricks they performed, so the term became. a natural slang for street per­formers who get paid in the same way.

On the final day of Buskerfest, a family picnic was held in a park under the trees.

Besides the slack rope walkers in the trees and the bowling ball and sabre jugglers, participants included Masiji Terasawa, who is one of the eight remaining people practicing the ancient Japanese art of "amesaiko," or taffy sculpting.

"What a great way to end the festival, " commented Ray Jason. "All in all I think it was a fabulous five days. The only changes I'd like to see for next year is to see some of the venues changed. The working conditions on the street were somewhat difficult, particularly for the West Coast performers who are used to a more controlled environment. I myself en­joyed the challenge. But next year I'd like to see some scheduling of performers and perhaps some indoor shows."

The general consensus was that the Buskerfest was a wonderful success and an important step for street performers everywhere. The well-run festival helped to lend credibility to the buskers with local merchants and the community as a whole. There is no doubt that the Second Annual Street Performers Festival will happen, and be even greater. There's even talk of taking it on the road to other other popular street theatre locations. Look for the dates of next year's Buskerfest and make plans to be there. It's one that no performer or fun-lover should miss!