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

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.

Dice stacking

Let’s Learn a Party Trick! A Dice-Stacking Pro Explains the Basics

This is a performance you can do on a tabletop using a cup and dice.

The classic routine involves quickly scooping up dice placed on the table with a shaken cup, and when you lift the cup, the dice are stacked.

Techniques like how you catch the dice and how you move your wrist are important, and a key point is that anyone can do it with practice.

There are also variations, such as tossing the dice in one by one or stacking them on unstable surfaces, so why not look up some examples and give it a try?

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kappamaki

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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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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.

pantomime

Street performance / Pantomime

Because pantomime expresses everything with just the body and no words, anyone can enjoy it—and it’s guaranteed to get everyone excited! With a bit of practice, anyone can do the “invisible wall” performance.

Acting like you’re being blown away while holding an umbrella or doing slow-motion moves can get laughs with their comedic flair.

If you practice well and perform it, it’s sure to become an unforgettable memory.

Definitely give it a try!

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.