A roundup of street performance ideas to liven up year-end and New Year parties

plate spinning

Can you do it even as a first-timer? I tried plate spinning!

It’s a trick where you keep a plate spinning on a stick.

It looks difficult at first glance, but there seem to be simple kits you can buy, so using one of those is a good option.

Since you can do it anywhere as long as you have a plate and a stick, it’s perfect for venues like year-end parties.

And if you practice and can spin not just one but three at the same time, it’s sure to be a huge hit.

balloon art

[Balloon Art] Easy Way to Make a Bear [Balloon Performer Tsugumi]

Balloon art is a relatively easy-to-start street performance that brings smiles to both children and adults.

The tools are inexpensive and readily available, making it easy to get into.

From cute dogs and flowers to highly complex creations, it’s a craft with great depth.

cigar box

~Like a flower that blooms with dignity~ 1st Kanto Cigar Box Contest – 1st place: Seiya Matsuno

There are several fundamentals of street performance.

One of them is called the cigar box.

I think everyone has seen it before.

It’s a juggling technique that uses three rectangular boxes.

If you master it, you can reportedly use more than ten boxes and catch them in a way that links together horizontally.

devil stick

[Devil Stick] Master the basic tricks [Juggling] [Chit-chat] [Flower Stick]

You may have seen devil sticks in juggling performances by street entertainers.

The performer uses two hand sticks—one in each hand—to lift, spin, and toss the longest stick, called the center stick, to showcase various tricks.

It’s recommended to start by mastering the basic move called idling, then learn more advanced tricks.

There aren’t that many fundamental techniques, so aim to master the basics and work your way up to performing!

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miyabi

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Crystal juggling

Crystal ball juggling performer MASAKI — 2010.4.13. Audi quattro Night

It’s a performance where the crystal ball seems to glide smoothly around the arms and body as if moved by an invisible force.

You can tell it’s driven by fingertip movements, yet the fluid motion creates a mysterious atmosphere.

Maintaining the crystal ball in place while moving the hands around it, for example, relies on how you engage your muscles and control your body.

Also be mindful of hand and finger movements that make the ball appear to be constantly rotating—this is key to conveying a magical, otherworldly feel.

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kappamaki

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Kendama

Beginner (1) Stop and sword

Kendama, which many people probably played with in elementary school, is also known as a traditional Japanese street performance art.

These days there are even world championships, and if you look, you can find plenty of helpful videos, so the barrier to giving it a try isn’t all that high.

It doesn’t take up much space, so I think it can captivate many people even in relatively small venues.

statue

World Cup of Street Performers in Shizuoka 2012: Statue POTE (unedited).

Have you ever seen one in the city or at a theme park? You walk up thinking, “Was there always a statue here?” and… it turns out it’s actually a person dressed as a statue, just standing still! That’s what a ‘statue performance’ is.

Some look like pure white stone figures, others like bronze statues.

Not moving at all is quite difficult, but the toughest part might be not blinking, right? Let’s start by practicing not blinking!

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utatane

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