Constructing a show for the street

Musicians, magicians, jugglers, and others all develop and rehearse their acts before walking out on stage. Balloon art should be no different. Quite often I encounter people that say, "I can make 20 balloon figures. Now, how do I make money doing it?" My answer is always the same. "Turn it into a show." There is nothing wrong with making creations out of balloons and giving them out or selling them. That's how most professional twisters get started. In fact, many of the really good twisters out there make far more elaborate creations than the best balloon entertainers. I have a lot of respect for those people. Maybe you're happy just impressing people with your intricate creations. If entertainment is your goal, step back and ask yourself how entertaining it is to watch those creations being made. Some people will be fascinated by the changing shape of the balloons until they reach their final form, but will an audience stay to watch? Will an audience even be able to see the object being created, or will the smallest details be lost on the people 20 feet away?

Balloon entertainment can take on several forms. The most common one that I see is the artist standing with a line in front of him. Each person in line knows that if they wait long enough, they'll walk away with a balloon. Some twisters allow the people in line to choose a creation to take with them. Others make what they feel like as each new person steps forward. Some make things with only one balloon. Others use many. The details of how this is done is just a matter of style, and frankly not what this article is about. When it comes down to it, whether you place a price tag on the sculpture or allow them to give you what they wish, you're selling your artwork. You're becoming a balloon factory. Even the most creative artists realize that speed becomes an issue. You can only make money if you can handle the line fast enough.

For an idea of how to improve this situation, let's look at other forms of non-balloon entertainment. When I first started on the street, I took two skills with me. They were magic and juggling. I used juggling clubs, my larger props, to draw a crowd. Then, once I had the crowd, I did card tricks on a small table in front of me. Only a dozen or so people could see me at a time. As I practiced, my story-telling skills improved, and two or three dozen people could enjoy the show. The prop itself was less important than the show built around the prop. A 15 minute magic show with a deck of cards could entertain three dozen people. In fact, a good, strong street act might play to several hundred people and last 20-40 minutes. The fastest balloon twisters in the world can't make interesting figures for 200 people in 40 minutes and still be able to feel their fingertips.

I looked at this long ago and began to wonder what it would take to turn balloon twisting into something that would entertain crowds that large. I came up with two different approaches that work for me. I've seen only a few other twisters do either of these. Both of them forgoes the line completely and resorts to the tried and true approach of treating the people on the street as an audience. They want to be entertained beyond all else. Even the ones that want to go home with something want to be entertained along the way. Have you ever noticed how bored people look waiting in line to buy something? Don't make them wait for the balloon sculpture or the value they place on it will be like anything else they buy. You want the value to be in the entertainment they've experienced.

I will outline the two basic forms of balloon entertainment that I most often find myself doing. I'd also like to make it clear that these are far from the only things that I feel will work. What's more, I make no promises that what works for me will serve as a recipe for success on the street when done by others. It's taken several years for my ideas to evolve into something that works for me. I invite anyone with balloon twisting skills to give them a shot, but I urge you to find your own style, using my methods as something to get your imaginations going. It's not that I detest copycats. In fact, if you think my ideas are so cool that you want to use them, you'll flatter me. It's just that I don't believe anyone can be successful as an entertainer unless their own persona finds it's way into the show. Creating a show, with balloon art or otherwise, isn't easy. It will take a lot of experimentation, practice, and frustration to find what works for you.

The interactive balloon art demonstration

The interactive balloon demo is my favorite method of showing off. It's all about standing in front of the crowds and having them cheer at my inventiveness and ability to think quickly under pressure. The reality is that most of what I do in front of the audience is well-rehearsed material that I've been using for years. I really do ask the audience for suggestions, and I really do listen. But when it comes down to it, it's my choice of what to make.

As I go through my introduction, I already have balloons in my hands and start to create. By the time my intro is finished, I have something to hold up for them to see. The stage is truly set for what I intend to do. I then inform them that I'm up for suggestions and more than willing to make the things they request.

"All of you should tell me at once what you want to see. You all have to speak at the same time so that no one person's request stands out above the others. I'll hear them all and make a decision. If I like what you suggest, I'll make it. If not, I'll pretend I didn't hear you."

"A pelican eating a fish? You can't be serious. Where did you come up with that one? Oh, never mind. I'll try, but if I can pull it off, I want a round of applause unlike any you've ever given to a street performer. "

As I work, making pieces of the pelican and showing it off in odd positions so that no one can see what's coming, I remind them that I need recognition for my efforts. When I finally complete the sculpture, I hold it up, take a bow, and milk it for all it's worth.

The important thing is to keep talking. Keep your crowd interested in what you're doing and saying. When I was working on my education degree, I remember being told that people will remember things best and will be most attentive when you appeal to multiple senses. The same is true in a performance situation. Don't just count on the visual aspect of your artwork to keep up the enjoyment level of the audience. Tell jokes, interact with the crowd, maybe even ask the audience to pass the sculpture around for many people to get their hands on. I was flattered at a recent event I did when a blind woman stayed around after my show to tell me that she listened to the whole thing and found it much more enjoyable than some of the other acts. This wasn't someone that could even see what it was that I created.

Where I run into some difficulties doing this is that there are people that want their own balloon sculptures to take with them. Picking the people to give things to can be a challenge. I usually give them to the people that I expect to cause trouble if they're ignored. The reason is not that I wish to give in to demands, but because I want the whole experience to remain as enjoyable as possible. If those that are going to interrupt me walk away quickly, I can go on with the fun and tell jokes. Other times I give things to the people that asked for something so unusual that I had to make it. The audience quickly sees the value in participating and they get even more involved.

Since my top priorities in choosing the figures I make are entertaining the largest number of people and making them laugh, I don't necessarily do things that are hard. I do things that are highly visible. Quite often I make things that are actually incredibly simple but get the largest laughs and give me an opportunity to bring volunteers on stage with me. Other times, I'll end up making full body costumes and getting the people on stage to become actors in stories that I tell. I don't place greater or lesser value on anything I make. I just make it and get it out into the crowd so that my artwork can do it's own walking and advertising for me.

The makings of a formal show

What I've already described can easily be turned into a more formal show. In fact, it's the more formal show that's likely to make you more money on the street if done right. We've already established that not everyone can walk away with a creation if you're busy showing off how awesome your skills are. So, admitting that you can't give balloons to everyone, why not hold back on giving balloons to anyone and focus more on creating an elaborate stage set.

I compare myself in some ways to a stand-up comedian. I'm in front of, or sometimes in the center of the crowd. I introduce myself and inform them of what they'll witness over the next 40 minutes or so. In fact, I lay out in the beginning what this is about and how long I'll go on before I take a break. It is a show, and they need to know that. If they think you'll twist forever, or that you'll be making things for everyone, you'll never get them to watch the show patiently. They'll just be waiting for handouts. Before I walk out, I have a planned set containing the material I intend to use during the 40 minute period, much like any comedian, musician, or other entertainer would do. I like to improvise, so I rarely stick entirely to my plan, but it gives me something to fall back on.

The whole show is a story. It doesn't have to start with "once upon a time" and end with "happily ever after". But it has to flow from beginning to end. There need to be connecting pieces that hold it all together and give it a reason to be presented in the way that it is. In any performance venue, but even more so on the street, make people aware of who you are. Introduce yourself. Just because you're standing on the street and not charging admission doesn't mean you're less important than a big name celebrity. Know where you plan to go. If your goal is to end with 10 people on stage wearing costumes made entirely out of balloons, figure out how to get there. The show may be about showing off your skills, but you'll be more likely to hold an audience if there's a theme connecting those ten costumes. It could be a walk through history, or it could be the ten main characters in a play. Take a step back from the balloon artwork, and think more about the performance art.

In connection with creating your story, make sure you develop a character that can properly deliver that story. If you stand up there in a very straight fashion describing things as you make them, you're putting the focus back on the props, taking away from yourself as a performer. When you're on stage, you're an actor. You may be playing the part of yourself, but you are playing a part. Simply demonstrating a skill will make the skill, in my case balloon twisting, more important than the show.

An example of a routine I've used with balloons is a story of the evolution of magic and dragons. As I tell the story, I create a dragon costume for one audience member, and create armor for another. The knight and dragon face each other on stage in a battle to the death. I set this up by twisting the costumes and fitting them to my volunteers, all while talking about an imagined history of magic. I have the audience laughing by telling jokes about the characters and talking to my assistants. I then introduce the characters as mortal enemies, and lead them, step-by-step through a slow motion fight sequence. In the end, one of them comes out the winner. The balloons themselves are incidental to the story, but an important part of the overall picture I've created.

Some people may choose to tell one 40 minute story like the dragon versus knight scernario I describe, but more likely, you'll want to do a few differnt things during that time to keep the pace up and keep your audience interested in what's coming next. If that's the case, consider a running theme, or connecting material between segments. Using the above story, the theme may be as generic as fairy tales, or as specific as dragons. Perhaps the same idea could fit in to theme on good versus evil. The connecting material could be a running gag or a few jokes that relate to what you're doing. A running gag I use involves making celebrity figures out of balloons. I claim to be making famous people, but always create something silly that gets a laugh.