Busking
is the art of street performing or street theatre. It is a style of
performance unlike any other. A musician playing in the open air, tap
dancers hoofing on a sidewalk. These are the images that first come
to mind when you hear the term "busker". But the beauty of
street theatre is that it can take on many guises. There are buskers
who create temporary art on the pavement, knowing it will be trampled
on after they are finished.
Buskers
can be passionate dancers or interstellar mimes. There are jugglers,
actors, comedians, magicians and musicians. Busking is a way of bringing
the entertainment to the people. There is no form of theatre or art
more diverse, more spontaneous or more accessible. Some performers start
as buskers and move to other things. Some busk for the philosophical
freedom it symbolizes. Most performers agree that there is nothing harder
than busking 
but
seldom is there anything more rewarding.
Busking
is a style of performance that is difficult to describe before it has
been experienced. A play takes its shape in writing and rehearsals and
then is shown to an audience complete, but a street performance is a
social event in which the spectators are often as active as the performers.
A
good street performance draws its substance from the audience itself,
reacting and improvising around the peculiarities of the group. No two
performances are ever identical - spontaneity and improvisation take
precedence over perfection. Buskers display an eclectic array of talent
outdoors using the sidewalks, the parks and the street as their stage.
Although
there is no admission fee or tickets to sell out, with good street theatre
it is very definitely standing room only! And the only cost is an appreciative
contribution to the performers hat at the end of the show.
~Definition
provided by the Halifax
International Busker Festival
