Street Performers

20 April, 2014

Our family is in Madrid on Spring Break. It's payment for the girls' hard work in school and also an opportunity to hang out with my mama, sister and niece. Our cup runneth over.

Over the past couple of days, I have noticed several street performers on Plaza Mayor. They have always fascinated me. You can separate them into a few categories:

• Musicians
• Contortionists
• Artists
• Hip Hop Dancers
• Magicians

The musicians seem to be driven more by passion than money. I am sure they are hoping to rake in a big haul, like everybody else, but quite often they don't even acknowledge the crowd. The musician just needs an outlet. I met a band yesterday. They were all young and sang 80's rock covers with a weird kind of Spanish/British accent. They drew a decent crowd every time, but didn't generate a lot of money. All the guys were friendly and excited about their upcoming CD. They told me their main purpose for being on the Plaza was to be close to the fans. If that's true, they succeeded.

The other day, we visited a street market in Madrid and I came upon a guy playing a set of wine glasses. I was excited to see him, because I had just demonstrated how to make that distinctive sound to Katherine on a wine glass at home. He was talented, but lacked an ability to engage the audience.

That same day we encountered a group of classical musicians that included a singer. He had a rich baritone, and possessed obvious talent. A crowd of 50 or so people gathered around. He captured all of us and held us in spellbound attention. Money flowed out of our pockets like water over the Niagara Falls. A little bit later, a woman joined the group and sang in a beautiful soprano. They were definitely professional singers.

Contortionists come in all shapes and sizes, literally. The big thing these days is levitation. Even Jesus got into the act.

The really good ones will generate €150/night. That's not bad for just hanging around. Francesca, the ghost bride, is an aspiring actress. She is new to the street performance business and only makes between €30-70/night for five nights a week. That's not a great living, but enough to pay the bills, and she has most of the day to hunt for other work.

Street Artists make those caricatures that everybody has somewhere in their closet or proudly hanging on the wall. Katherine had been begging for one, and we finally found one in Plaza Mayor. It was hard for Katherine to sit still while the guy was drawing her. She was dying to know what it looked like. I showed him some of Katherine's work, and he was really impressed. It's a great picture, and I think it will bolster Katherine's growing love of art. 

Hip Hop Dancers fascinate me. This is an art form that literally started in the streets. Perhaps it is the lovechild of Contortionists and Musicians. Michael Jackson supposedly first saw the "Moonwalk" on the street. As this art form ages, it has begun to attract and retain an older, read richer, audience. All the dancers have worked hard at smiling and engaging the crowds. Many times, they have a "plant" in the audience, usually a little kid, that they will "beg" to come inside the ring and dance a little bit. Of course the kid is a prodigy and the audience goes wild.

Magicians are definitely the top of the food chain. It makes sense, because illusions transcend language and culture and don't require a lot of props. All the successful magicians are great at involving the audience. They select an older guy, a good looking woman and a child, often reaching into the second or third tier for "volunteers". Rubén has been performing street magic for a couple of years now, and he makes about €200/night, four nights a week. That's about $55,000 per year. Not bad for a 20 hour work week. He also performs for private parties, and I am sure he practices ad nauseum to hone his skills and work on his delivery. His whole performance was with a set of magic ropes that got longer and shorter, while twin brother passed the hat.

All the acts work hard for their money. It's not easy performing in front of a big crowd that is constantly looking for other diversions. Quite often we watch with amusement and then saunter off to the next thing, without ever dropping a coin in the hat. I would suggest you support the arts, in whatever form and location you find it. One day you may find yourself on the street and need a little magic yourself.