General Admission: New York City https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc A survey of NYC's classic and historical street culture Mon, 14 May 2018 06:21:49 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://files.eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/wp-content/uploads/var/www/webroot/ROOT/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/01/15140022/mhc_logo_NEW-favicon.png General Admission: New York City https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc 32 32 Subway Musicians https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/2018/05/14/subway-musicians/ https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/2018/05/14/subway-musicians/#respond Mon, 14 May 2018 03:10:48 +0000 https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/?p=397 Walking through the New York City Subway system, we met many street musicians. Each one had a different story, played a different instrument, and a different style of music, but what they shared was a love of their art and the joy that it gives them to share their music with the people of New York.

At the Times Square 42nd Street Station, we met African drummer Itemize King. King has been doing street performance for 8 years. A self-taught musician, King first saw the African drum in an African dance, and decided to learn how to play. After some time selling things on trains, he decided to start to play the drum and sing on the train instead. He receives some positive reactions and occasionally some negativity, but he says that you have to stay strong, and don’t give up on your art.

 

We met drummer Dexter Jones at Grand Central Station. Jones plays the steel drums. Born in Trinidad, Jones has been playing the drums for 45 years, and for about 20 of those years, he has performed on the subways. Unlike most of the musicians we met, Jones plays professionally, drumming for a living, and has agents who set him up with gigs.

 

At Lexington Avenue – 53rd Street Station, we met Joe Estrella, who plays guitar and sings. Of Puerto Rican descent, Estrella performs the Spanish oldies he grew up with. He started playing when he was 13, and has been doing street performing for 10 years. He told us that he usually performs 5 days per week for about 4 hours each day. He enjoys interacting with people and spreading joy through music.

 

Also at Lexington Avenue, was Ebrima Jassey, who plays the balafon, which is a wooden xylophone. Born in Namibia, West Africa, and now living in the Bronx, Jassey has been playing the balafon since he was 9 years old. He decided to learn because his brothers were playing, and he sometimes performs with his brothers in restaurants, colleges, and other venues. He has been a street performer for 3 years, and commented to us that he has made so many friends through street performance.  He says street performance, for him, is not about the money, because he is just happy when he plays.

 

 

 

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Inspiration in Urbania: The story of Blue Man Group https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/2018/05/14/inspiration-in-urbania-the-story-of-blue-man-group/ https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/2018/05/14/inspiration-in-urbania-the-story-of-blue-man-group/#respond Mon, 14 May 2018 00:20:22 +0000 https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/?p=382 The streets of New York inspired one of the world’s most innovative performing groups.

Blue Man Group is now a well-known act with regular shows in New York, Las Vegas, Boston, Chicago, Orlando, Berlin, and a world tour (“About Blue Man Group”). But this impressive entertainment empire has humble beginnings.

Three friends—Matt Goldman, Phil Stanton, and Chris Wink—felt that New York’s art scene had been vibrant in the 60s and 70s but was lacking in the 80s. So they decided to address the problem with performance art (Lyall).

“We got this idea that we should get blue and walk around,” says Wink.

Why blue? The exact origin of the idea is still shrouded in mystery, even for the founders, but Goldman recounts: “We saw three punk rockers – giant Mohawks, safety pins in the cheekbone area, leather and chains – walk between three other gentlemen who were dressed in Armani suits and carrying alligator briefcases. These six guys didn’t even blink, and the people around them didn’t even blink. And we turned to each other and said, ‘If that scene didn’t even get one iota of consciousness put to it, what human imagery possibly could?’” (“Coloring the World Blue”)

Their first stand against boredom was the symbolic “Funeral for the 80s.” Held in Central Park in 88, the men carried around a coffin and set fake fire to 80s icons like Rambo and the Berlin Wall, which actually came down the following year (Lyall).

The following three years consisted of scattered performances around Manhattan until Blue Man Group settled at their current home, the Astor Place Theater. A lot of their materials were just things they found, like PVC pipe (now a signature element of their shows) on Canal Street (Welch).

Says Goldman, “The Blue Man character is about universal human truths. When we got bald and blue for the first time, we knew instantly that we were on to something really special.”

Lots of people would certainly agree with Goldman, as Blue Man Group has had more than 35 million visitors over the years (“About Blue Man Group”).

Resourceful, anonymous, and bold, the blue man is a thoroughly New York figure.

“About Blue Man Group.” Blue Man Grouphttps://www.blueman.com/about-blue-man-group.

“Coloring the World Blue: The History of the Blue Man Group.” Peabody Opera House2 April

     2014, http://www.peabodyoperahouse.com/news/detail/coloring-the-world-blue-the-history-

     of-the-blue-man-group

Lyall, Sarah. “How Blue Turned to Green: Blue Man Group at 25 Years.” The New York Times,

     30 November 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/30/theater/how-blue-turned-to-green-

     blue-man-group-at-25-years.html.

Welch, Liz. “How We Did It: The Blue Man Group.”  Inc, 1 Aug. 2008,

     https://www.inc.com/magazine/20080801/how-we-did-it-the-blue-man-group.html.

]]> https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/2018/05/14/inspiration-in-urbania-the-story-of-blue-man-group/feed/ 0 Legality of NYC street and subway performances https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/2018/05/13/legality-of-nyc-street-and-subway-performances/ https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/2018/05/13/legality-of-nyc-street-and-subway-performances/#respond Sun, 13 May 2018 18:06:03 +0000 https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/?p=374 Street Performances has been a gray area of legality for sometime now. While performing on the street is in a sense a type of speech which is protected under the first amendment there still are some rules and regulations that people have to abide by when wishing to perform. In most cases anyone can perform anywhere with no issues, however you are required to have a permit for some public spaces. If you are using any form of an amplification device you need a permit which can be obtained at a local precinct for a fee of 45 dollars. Additionally if you are performing in a park you need a permit as well. While these rules are fine for above ground performances going below ground in the MTAs space brings its own set of rules.

The MTA, being a company, owns all of the space underground for public transportation. While in MTA property you can perform if you are affiliated with the Music Under New York program giving you special rights such as ability to advertise and ability to use amplification. However, if you are not affiliated you have no rights to any of these things besides the performance itself. Additionally in recent years performances on the subways themselves have been looked down upon. Even leading to some arrests for people doing performances that include loud music or acrobatics. One street performer said in a Vice interview “Many performers have packed up entirely.” This increased police presence has caused many buskers leave MTA property entirely. The sudden lack of performers now risks New York Cities culture and history regarding performers. History that goes back decades and culture deeply embedded in what makes New York the city it is. Additionally there maybe some racial profiling in the recent wave of arrests in the MTA. Statistics show that police officers arrest a disproportionately high amount of minorities compared to white performers while on subways. This shows that there is a bigger underlying problem besides just performing on subway cars. As seen with our studies in our Macaulay class with examples like gentrification and the book “Down These Mean Streets” New York City is no stranger to being racially biased. As a city we need to work on being equal in the treatment of everyone and that includes street performers.

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Interview with Jenna Morello @jennamorello https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/2018/05/13/interview-with-jenna-morello-jennamorello/ https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/2018/05/13/interview-with-jenna-morello-jennamorello/#respond Sun, 13 May 2018 06:52:54 +0000 https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/?p=353 1. What inspired you to get into street-art/graffiti?

“I’ve always been into art since I was a kid. I think street art happened because it was a natural progression of certain things combined in my upbringing. If I had a choice, I would be outside instead of in because I grew up in the woods. I also come from a home where antiquing and repurposing things was very common. So I think my initial introduction to “street art” was taking things off the street and reusing it or making it into a piece of art. In my early 20s, I was mainly an acrylic painter but it wasn’t covering the surface area or providing the visual impact I was looking for. So I began to go outside and paint on things there. After that it just continued to evolve.”

2. What do you base your artwork on?

“My artwork is based on all sorts of things in all sorts of mediums. I get bored easy so I tend to jump around. Sometimes there’s a point to my pieces, sometimes there’s not and I’m just experimenting. If going to the gym is a workout for your body, then making art for me is a workout for my brain.It’s something I must continuously exercise to maintain a certain level of balance for myself. So I guess I base my artwork off that.”

3. How do you feel your artwork has contributed to the beauty of NYC? 

“I think NYC in itself is a work of art that’s constantly changing and growing. I feel like if I do my job right, then I’m just adding to something that’s already there and maybe making it a little better. Around here, you’re a very small fish in a very large, fast moving river. Being able to contribute at all I think is a feet within itself.”

 

 

Graffiti by Jenna Morello
(instagram.com/jennamorello)
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Interview with JCORP @jcorptm https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/2018/05/13/interview-with-jcorp-jcorptm/ https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/2018/05/13/interview-with-jcorp-jcorptm/#respond Sun, 13 May 2018 06:50:45 +0000 https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/?p=351 1. What inspired you to get into street-art/graffiti?

“I was completing my senior year at the School of Visual Arts when I discovered graffiti and street art. My concentration was in illustration and printmaking at the time, and the two mediums were a perfect fit. I was becoming disillusioned with the alleged ‘high art gallery’ system and fell in love with street art because it was an egalitarian art world where I could have my art seen by many people without having to go through a middle agency.”

2. What do you base your artwork on?

“My artwork comes from my childhood inspiration of 90’s and 2000’s Japanese Manga and Anime (with some vintage in the mix). They are loose narratives around my life and current events told in a rainbow-infused, magical characters in a fantastical, cosmic setting. Lots of personal emotions and self portraiture in the mix too!”

3. How do you feel your artwork has contributed to the beauty of NYC? 

“I’ve been very fortunate to hear that people have enjoyed my murals and street art for its uplifting and cheerful messages, as well as humorous characters. I always think that we could use more colors in our lives, and I strive to make the viewers smile, or even chuckle a little!”

 

Graffiti by JCORP
(instagram.com/jcorptm)

 

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Interview with Damien Mitchell @damien_mitchell https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/2018/05/13/interview-with-damien-mitchell-damien_mitchell/ https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/2018/05/13/interview-with-damien-mitchell-damien_mitchell/#respond Sun, 13 May 2018 06:49:16 +0000 https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/?p=349 1. What inspired you to get into street-art/graffiti?

“I choose to paint for a lot of reasons. I think graffiti serves as a critique, gives a voice to the voiceless, is a vehicle for style and personal expression, offers a community, a tradition and a culture, but mostly it’s fun.”

2. What do you base your artwork on?

“Inspiration comes from everywhere. Sometimes my work is pretty, while other work focuses on a more simple communication of a message. I don’t like to paint in one particular style or mood. The anonymity granted by graffiti allows me to jump from idea to idea and get inspiration from wherever it comes from.”

3. How do you feel your artwork has contributed to the beauty of NYC? 

“Nyc has a long history of graffiti and more many years it led the way in terms of innovation, technique and city saturation. These days, partly due to strict punishments if caught and no legal place for artists to practice, I feel it’s fallen behind a bit. Although I live in NY with my wife, I feel it’s outside the city and often the country where I try and focus most of my work. That said, I still do occasionally paint locally and like any other place I think public art is open to Interpretation, I paint because I like to paint, whether or not my work contributes to the beauty of the city is open for discussion.”

 

Graffiti by Damien Mitchell
(instagram.com/damien__mitchell/)

 

 

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Interview with Zephyr Graffiti https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/2018/05/13/interview-with-zephyr-graffiti/ https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/2018/05/13/interview-with-zephyr-graffiti/#respond Sun, 13 May 2018 06:45:57 +0000 https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/?p=344 1. What inspired you to get into street-art/graffiti?

Thanks for the questions. By way of terminology, I have never referred to anything I’ve ever done as “street art”. I consider myself a “graffiti writer”. The youth-based Graffiti Movement in New York City began in earnest around 1970. By the time I was twelve years old, in 1973, the graffiti around the city had become very dense and it was very attractive and compelling to me. I didn’t know any graffiti writers, but I saw graffiti everywhere and I wanted to participate in something that I intuitively knew was being done by kids. At that point I was old enough to start the process of marking my first choice of names (“Witten” and “Frodo”) on anything I could get my little Magic Markers on. My development in the culture was slow. I didn’t paint my first subway train until 1977. By 1975 or 1976 I had located a hang-out spot in Central Park where many graffiti writers congregated, so once I started meeting other graffiti writers we could exchange information and create primitive mentor-protege relationships. in 1977 my newfound graffiti friends and I created our own graffiti crew called “RTW” —“Rolling Thunder Writers”.”

2. What do you base your artwork on?

I don’t base my artwork on anything specifically, but as a graffiti writer I tried to employ the advertising model of Coca-Cola as a guide. The repetition of a standardized logo, presented in different formats and scale, but always familiar, legible and consistent seemed like the perfect model for my graffiti. As far as the stylistic aspect, all artists borrow from sources and piece things together to make it their own. Some of my favorite artists are the psychedelic poster artist Rick Griffin and the sixteenth century painter Albrecht Durer. One of my favorite NY graffiti artists is named Chain 3.”

3. How do you feel your artwork has contributed to the beauty of NYC? 

“I don’t feel it has. That would be egotistical and grandiose. I simply exploited a loophole in the system. I snuck into subway yards at night and painted on the subway cars, knowing they would transport my “logo” around the city. A form of artistic ego-gratification and personal expression. I enjoyed doing it, and still do, but I make no pretense that I’m improving anything, aesthetically. Beauty is subjective, so I leave judgment on the aesthetic merits of anything I’ve ever done to others.”

Graffiti done by Zephyr on a freight train in NYC
(zephyrgraffiti.com)

 

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G-Wyll’s Will: Greg Willis https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/2018/05/13/g-wylls-will-greg-willis/ https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/2018/05/13/g-wylls-will-greg-willis/#respond Sun, 13 May 2018 04:41:33 +0000 https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/?p=340 Gregory Willis, known by many is G-Wyll is unlike most subway performers. G-Wyll grew up in Atlanta Georgia where even at a young age music was deeply a part of his life. He said in a documentary by Joey Cardella that at a young age he saw his family listen to music during parties and saw how the music changed the mood of everyone. Elevating them into feelings that he’s never seen before, this inspired him to learn how to play music himself. So that he can share good feelings and happiness with all. At the age of seven his aunt gave him his first guitar where as before he made do with a broomstick and a couple of strings. At the age of ten he told his mother that he knew he was going to do this as a job. Finally G-Wyll got his first big break when he moved to New York City thanks to a good friend of his soon after high school. Here he quickly got noticed by the company Broadcast Music, BMI for short where he had a job writing music for them.

As of now he’s been in the music business for over thirty years at this point and his outlook on life as a whole has changed. He said “In the past my goal was getting myself signed but now I’m not signed and I won’t be anytime soon.” He refuses to get himself signed because he believes you should “live for yourself” and not have anyone control you or your artistic ability. Now he works as a freelance playing in many establishments at night and playing in the subway at day. He says he doesn’t play in the subway for income but rather does it because he is fascinated by the people. He plays in many locations such as Penn Station, 34th street, and the location we met him at 42nd st. First he started playing in the subway doing covers of popular songs but now he gained the confidence to play his own music of which he has many. This has enabled him to gain a small following on social media which has recently put him into the spotlight again. As of recent he has been working on a Gospel themed album. He believes he got as far as he did because of God’s will, going as far as naming himself G Wyll as a play on of the term God’s Will. Now he wants to spread the word of God to other people in subway and through his published music. Of course while not forgetting his roots and remembering to play in order to share good feelings with all.

Works Cited

njebesvideos. “G-Wyll – Reborn Documentary.” YouTube, YouTube, 16 Jan. 2014,     www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVkW8CqQPNY.

 

“G-Wyll.” SoundCloud, soundcloud.com/user-123155529/albums.

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Laws Against Street Dance? https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/2018/05/12/laws-against-street-dance/ https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/2018/05/12/laws-against-street-dance/#respond Sat, 12 May 2018 00:14:23 +0000 https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/?p=307
Dancers After Dark by Jordan Matter

         The New York City Cabaret Law was passed in 1926, during the Harlem Renaissance. It was a dancing ban placed in all public areas of New York City. It forbade any musical, singing, dancing, or other form of amusement. The license was not available to the average citizen, though, as it costed a significant amount of money to obtain. The main reason for the mandatory license was due to noise complaints. However, In 1971, the Cabaret Law was modified to exempt musical performance by putting a restriction on 3+ people playing any stringed instrument. Throughout its history, mayor Rudy Giuliani was the main enforcer of this law, resurrecting the dormant rule as part of his implementation of broken windows policy to fine and shut down perceived nuisance bars in the late 1990s.

Image: Film and Dance Association

         Anyone who wished to purchase a cabaret license has to undergo extreme background checks which includes fingerprinting, financial records, surveillance, physical security, fire, building, electrical, health, and record keeping requirements; and to pay the fees associated with each compliance. In 2016, the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs claimed there were then 118 cabaret licenses in a city of 25,100 licensed food service establishments. The law was heavily criticized both by the general public and from within city government. The limits on types of instruments were ruled unconstitutional in Warren Chiasson v. New York City Department of Consumer Affairs, 132 Misc.2d 640 (N.Y. County Sup. Ct., 1986), and the three-musician limit was found to be unconstitutional in a later decision in the same case in Warren Chiasson v. New York City Department of Consumer Affairs, 138 Misc.2d 394 (N.Y. County Sup. Ct., 1988).

        Although the code was change to reflect the ruling as to types of instrument, the text to reflect the elimination of he three-musician limit was not corrected in the text of the Administrative Code. In June 2017, New York City Council member Rafael Espinal introduced a bill for the full repeal of the regulation. It was passed 44-1 by the City Council on October 31, 2017. However, a venue can still be fined or closed by the city, as the law still requires the venue to be located in a zone that allows dancing.

Reference:

“Text of 1926 Cabaret Law As enacted” (PDF). Zort Music. Zort Music. Retrieved 24 September 2017.

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A Red Nose and a Pair of Dancing Shoes https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/2018/05/11/a-red-nose-and-a-pair-of-dancing-shoes/ https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/2018/05/11/a-red-nose-and-a-pair-of-dancing-shoes/#respond Fri, 11 May 2018 23:14:44 +0000 https://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/generaladmissionnyc/?p=293
Washington Square Park

          Washington Square Park is one of New York City’s gems for lounging around on the lawn and pretending to forget about all the work you have piling up. There’s always something to see— whether it be the guys playing chess or the guys playing renditions of Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington on their jazz instruments. And then there’s Roadie, a silent clown performed by Jared Thompson. Jared is a graduate of the North Carolina School of Arts who describes his act as physical comedy and emphasizes the importance that dancing has on the tradition of clowning as a form of carefree self expression. As Roadie glides across the pavement breakdancing, he feeds off of the audience cheering him on and clapping. He even includes the audience in his act as he mimes. When we watched Roadie in his element, a man sitting and watching on a bench close by offered Roadie a stick of gum. Roadie exited the stage, which he created by forming a circle with red string, accepted the gum, and proceeded to choke on it while asking the man for help. After his performance Jared gracefully agreed to be interviewed.

How often do you perform?

Image: TheDustyRebel

JT: Now I’ve started to get into routine where I do it three times a week, depending on the day, like today is super beautiful so I decided to come out here [Washington Square Park] but normally I would perform in the subway. Now it shifts back and forth because what I try to do, and I would say I’m a clown in training, so I’m performing and then every other day I’m exercising, working on skills and things like that, and then I’ll perform and exercise again, so I try to keep that up depending on the day.

Is that self taught or do you have formal training?

JT: So I went to an acting conservatory in North Carolina, so North Carolina School of Arts. And I trained there for four years with classes in Stanislavski and Chekhov, a little bit of Uta Hagen, Sanford Meisner and my, I wouldn’t consider him my mentor because we don’t work closely together but he was my favorite teacher and what got me to start doing comedy and he teaches mask and movement. He builds the masks in a way that he starts off with the black face hood then he works it into neutral mask, full mask, half mask, and then lastly is the red nose. And the red nose was something that I gravitated towards and then the amount of training I got from the red nose was maybe three months of training and then I moved to New York after that. I was living in New York for three or four years and that’s when the nose kind of found me rather than me going oh yeah red nose, clowning. But it sort of found me cause I got burned out on audition stuff, and I started, me and my friends got the red nose and we just started playing the streets.

Is there anything you do on the side?

JT: Yeah so, I still do acting, but something to keep me afloat, it’s not what I’m trying to do full time, but it’s making the money, I work as a production coordinator for a video utility company, not video but like video production. So production coordinators basically organize labor and events.

Would you say there’s a difference in the way the audience perceives your performance on the subway versus outside?

JT: Yeah it’s a different energy, on the subway it’s a lot more contained, interestingly enough before I came here today I was like I had been performing in the subway a lot I don’t know its going to be really different cause it’s so spread out but its all relative its really how you grab the persons eye and I’m a firm believer of you know some people they just don’t like this type of performance but I’m a firm believer in if you’re good enough and you know how to connect with someone on a way that doesn’t scare them you can get anybody interested it just really depends. But it’s definitely different on the subway versus out here how the audience perceives it because it’s just like, “Oh it’s such a beautiful day I might just stick around and watch this,” whereas on the subway they’ll just be walking by cause they’ll be going to the train.

Does your performance have any message you want to send out to the audience, whether it be political or social?

JT: Yeah, you know my message has always fluctuated on a specific three words or whatever, it’s mainly and simplistically based off of love. That’s what the clown is based in a world of curiosity and innocence, the clown really taps into a child, and a child, I believe, they have no inhibitions of how they start off as a kid. Very vulnerable and open and so I think that’s one of the reasons why the clown connected with me and this message of I want people to tap into their innocence I want people to go from cerebral to more of the heart- so let down their barriers– yes exactly so I want, Jim Carrey actually has a really good theme of his life is he wants to free people from concern and I like that. I actually gravitate towards that thought process, as a clown I want to free people from concern and not take things too seriously.

Why did you incorporate dance into your performance?

Image: TheDustyRebel

JT: Oh man, I just love to dance. So yeah, I’ve really wanted to start taking more classes.  There were dance classes in my school but they were more to build you up if you wanted to do musicals, there was tap, jazz, modern, and yeah those were the three heavy hitters. I really love modern but what I found myself really gravitating towards is that 1920s crazy swing thing, either that or hip hop. I love hip hop. I would love to start taking classes in hip hop or breakdancing, and then as well as that. Now that you’re asking me these questions it’s good because it’s kind of illuminating what I’ve been trying to do. We’re forcing you to be self aware.                                                                     

Would you say dancing sort of lets you let loose, be a free spirit, be childlike?

JT: Yeah, most definitely. Absolutely, dancing is a vulnerable thing for people who aren’t comfortable dancing in public spaces. I mean when I’m walking around and not doing this, I like to talk to people, but sometimes I can be very to myself and I’m not randomly jumping around dancing. But when you do it can be very freeing, even if you’re not a good dance or whatever that means. When you watch kids they act free and carelessly, when they hear some good music and they will dance.

What is the greatest compensation you have received, or any street performer/dancer  can receive in terms of compensation from the audience ?

JT: The best compliment I can get from somebody is “Wow, that made me feel like a kid again,” or “I really loved the dancing,” small things like that. Something like “You made me feel like a kid again” is a great compliment. And another compliment can be somebody who just sticks around until the end, like those people over there who stuck around until the end that always feels nice. Kids are usually the ones who stick around until the end-they get it. It is very fun how, either its instilled in them from a very young age that clowns are scary, or either they saw a clown that was a really shitty clown and they got really scared. Most of the time I feel that people are scared of clowns, because of what society has put in movies and stuff like that. So that’s one of the reasons why I don’t wear makeup, I try to stay very fresh, very similar to Charlie Chaplin and Lusker Pete. There is select people I have had who ran away screaming, but that was few and far between. I tried experimenting with a little make up, and it was just  little white around the eyes and white around my mouth and nothing else, and that scared the shit out of somebody so I try not to play around with that.

What role would you say New York has had on your performance ?

Image: TheDustyRebel

JT: New York is like an unforgiving place, it’s just fast paced whether you like it or not. Again it’s all in perspective but New York is like a hub of creative energy, and that energy has either pushed me away to be recuperate, or its like I’m in it and I’m going for it. I moved away for a little bit, because i got very depressed. Most of the time it’s in the winter months so I moved back home, and I decided to travel. I traveled through Central America, and I performed for kids who are in NGOs. So New York had kind of pushed me out, but more of my decision of like I need some time away, and I didn’t even plan on moving back. I was like New York you have been good, but I’m done. And then I got a call from one of my best friends who is also a clown, and he’s working on a clown show and he wanted me to work on it with him. And I decided I can’t pass up this opportunity, so in a sense New York pulled me right back in.

 

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