41-3,p32

buskers, continued

You can imagine my pleasure then when two nights before the end of the festival I actually saw the gleaming, tattooed dome just about to start up his show. I hit the dirt like a sack of cement. Low on razzle dazzle tricks and high on his own brand of abrasive humor, The Butterfly Man in full flight is a joy to behold. No one is safe from his caustic wit. But, in contrast to what I had been lead to expect, there is charm and a warm twinkle of the eye behind the Butterfly Man's blustering.

He performs a torch routine with solid chops and doubles and sporadic behind the back and under the leg throws. This leads into a fire eating routine with a couple of fine gags. His cigar box routine has some skillful and original moves with a roundthe-world, a clever 3 box stack to 3 box line beginning and 180' rotation of boxes on the horizontal axis. His concluding ball routine moves frequently between 3 and 4 balls and finishes with a 5 ball split multiplex and reverse cascade. Floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee.

A true gentleman of the streets, Alex Elixer is a Nova Scotia boy made good. His was another act which I also somehow missed seeing last year (was I blind, or what?), so it was a delight when I ran into him one evening on Argyle St.

EJixer has a nice comedy routine complete with a straight-jacket escape and juggling 3 beach balls with two volunteers, but at the core is some skillful and well presented juggling. He does a lovely 3 torch routine with lots of complex variations including solid doubles, triples and quadruples, solid throws under one leg, high lateral throws, chops and a nice elbow balance. He concludes by juggling 5 torches seamlessly. Using illuminated balls he also does a five ball routine with a number of variations.

Pandemonium II is the combined comedic, acrobatic and juggling skills of Jerry Rowan and Daniel Looker and a better show, at least for my money, than either of their individual routines from last year's festival.

Looker's diabolo routine was hands down the best one at the festival with

difficult tricks, smooth transitions and a polished patter. There were continuous round the head, round the body and round the legs moves, a double pirouette, skipping rope, a front handspring, and a move in which he releases one of the handles, swing it in full circle into his outstretched palm. His diabolo expressway into a trashcan is 100% original -- imitators and plagiarists beware!

Looker is also becoming a connoisseur of the rola-bola with balances on one foot, one foot and one arm, handstands and a 180' jump. Impressive are his double rola bola (on two horizontal cylinders) and quadruple (on alternating vertical and horizontal cylinders) balances. Nice to see real circus skill and artistry on the street.

Rowan has a fine 3 ball comedy routine with lots of variations. He and Looker pass 6 torches between an 8 foot unicycle and an unsupported ladder. He also performs a superb comic juggling routine with 3 clubs and an egg, including multiple kickups into the pattern.

BACK FOR A SECOND YEAR are Kyla (10), Dana (12) and Alexis (14) Walker from Florida -- the Tri-Jesters. A year of rehearsing and the results show. Their show is stronger, better and more diverse with new skills and routines. All three now ride giraffes in formation patterns. In a new finale number they juggle and pass torches on stilts. A nice touch is the electric piano/ synthesizer that all three kids play to accompany their routines.