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magic4u02 Eternal Order Philadelphia, PA 15110 Posts |
We started talking in another thread about strolling magic for children. I had written about this very topic as an article for an ezine I write for. I thought some of the information shared in it may be 1) food for thought and 2) allow us to open it for discussion.
I see so many performers do strolling magic at events where there are lots of kids. however, they tend to do adult style effects and the kids are left out of the fun. here are some general thoughts on the subject. Hope they may be of help to you. Enjoy. As a children's and family entertainer, I realize that I probably spend most of my time performing my stage show for family style functions. But it dawned on me that although I talk a lot about these types of gigs, I do not always discuss another area of family performing that I do and really enjoy. This is strolling magic at family events. For some of you, the notion of strolling or walk-a-round magic for a family event may seem a bit strange or foreign. That is ok as it often is not thought of as much. When you think of a strolling entertainer, the first impression that comes to mind is a corporate event or possibly table hopping at a restaurant. But there are other avenues that a family performer can travel if they also enjoy strolling magic. I often will do strolling magic at Blue and Gold banquets as well as a lot of festival and fair events each year. I thought it would be beneficial to go over some of the things you need to be aware of as a strolling entertainer. These tips and ideas are mentioned in hopes that they may get you thinking and applying some of these in what you may do. - If you are hired to stroll at a family event, the most important thing I can tell you is that you must be able to appeal to all ages. You are there to perform and entertain everyone. Every person from 4 to 104 should be able to be entertained by you. - If you are performing for younger children, be aware that they can be intimidated by you. You are seen as a scary adult and they have to warm up to you. For this reason you will want to: 1) Approach slowly and cautiously. Do not just run on over. Approach with a smile and slowly look at both child and parent. You can then gauge whether it is safe to get closer. 2) I am always conscious of performing for children alone. I simply do not do it. In this day and age, I always make sure a parent is with the child before I approach and entertain. 3) I will always get down on the kid's level. By standing tall near them, they can be intimidated. By simply getting on their level they can feel less afraid, build trust in you, see you better and engage with you much easier. - Stay in character at all times. When you are strolling, the entire event area is your stage. If this is the case, you need to remain in character even as you are walking from one location to the next. You should not have to "turn it on and off". - If you are performing for the children, realize that the same rules you use in your kid show can be used in this environment as well. Simply stated, it means that kids still will love "see, don't see" or "magician in trouble" style effects. They still love to laugh and you can still take them on a fun journey leading up to the magical surprise. Do not find yourself abandoning good routines just to show a "trick" only. - You can use some of your classic children's effects in a strolling environment. It simply means adapting them is all. For example, jumbo card style effects can be done by scaling down the cards to a standard packet card size format. Large Chinese Sticks can be performed using smaller versions. Other effects from your show can be carried over as is. For example a Professor's Nightmare or Cut and Restored Rope routine can still play very well in a strolling environment. - Keep the shows short and sweet and be ready to perform something for a small family of 4 or even a larger set of say 15 mins. The decision on what to do at what time can be based on your location and area you perform in. - You will want to make sure what you present and carry with you is easy to reset. A lot of what I perform in my family strolling events are effects that reset themselves after the routine is over. - When you are strolling at family events you need to be mobile and have the ability to move at ease. Bringing large tables or prop cases is not ideal in this environment. It slows you down and causes potential traffic flow problems for your client. - Most clients want you to be able to mix and mingle with a lot of guests. Because of this, you do not want to find yourself locked into any one spot for any length of time. The idea is to perform for a group and move on. Now a client may want you to concentrate on certain areas (like the children's area). However, this is something that should always be decided upon in advance between you and the client. - Do not be afraid to cut your show short if you feel you are causing a problem with traffic flow etc. You need to learn to be adaptive. You want to always be a solutions provider and not a problem creator. If you find yourself in a situation where you are blocking traffic flow, finish your routine, thank the audience and then move on to a new location. - You always want to be careful of vendors when you select areas to perform at festival style events. You never want to block a vendor or cause traffic problems at the event. Vendors are paying for their spots and they can get very upset if they feel you are blocking people from getting to their booth. If you are going to mention vendors, mention all of them and encourage the children and audience to visit the vendors after your performance. The vendors will appreciate you doing so. - This is a Golden Solution for you if you utilize it. I want to share it with you because it allows your clients to really see your added value to their family event. Offer yourself to be a roving Master of Ceremonies. This simply means that you tell your client that as you stroll and entertain, you can also make announcements of events and happenings they may want their patrons to know about. They can usually give you a program to take with you an d your perceived value climbs high in their mind because you are offering a solution to a need. I hope some of these simple ideas get you thinking and can be used as you venture into performing your own strolling magic at family events. These have helped me a great deal in the past and you will learn so much more through the act of doing. So what are your thoughts? What are things that you personally feel are important when doing strolling magic for children? Kyle
Kyle Peron
http://www.kylekellymagic.com Entertainers Product Site http://kpmagicproducts.com Join Our Facebook Fan Page at http://facebook.com/perondesign |
Dynamike Eternal Order FullTimer 24148 Posts |
You said it all, Kyle. How much is our bill?
I include 5" sponge rabbits in my strolling routines. The kids love them. Red is the color most kids like the most. Many years ago I use to use balls. But I feel uncomfortable mentioning "two balls" in front of kids. That is one reason I switched to rabbits. Another reason is because rabbits are more animated than balls. The last reason is because rabbits will not roll around on a table from the wind or unevenness. At times when I see a 2-4 year old crying from falling down, I approach them with a sponge rabbit with a smile on my face. I do the retention pass. They noticed it is gone after I hand it to them. They get curious and stop crying. It makes the mother smile too. |
magic4u02 Eternal Order Philadelphia, PA 15110 Posts |
Mike: lol no bill my friend. Just sharing information in hopes it helps others.
Sponge Rabbits are great for kid's strolling. The shapes are familiar and it leads to being able to give them names and add a fun story the kids can relate to. Keep in mind that the same rules you use for children's stage shows can and should be applied to the strolling magic you perform for them as well. =) Kyle
Kyle Peron
http://www.kylekellymagic.com Entertainers Product Site http://kpmagicproducts.com Join Our Facebook Fan Page at http://facebook.com/perondesign |
mike storz Inner circle Orange, CT 1353 Posts |
Thanks Kyle! I enjoyed your post.
Mike |
B Hackler Special user 778 Posts |
Great post Kyle really enjoyed reading it.
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harris Inner circle Harris Deutsch 8812 Posts |
I love strolling magic and have the opportunity to use it as a stand alone or add on to an event. Of course for me my nearly normal puppets are a must.
Making announcements real and comedy ones is seen as very useful to our consumers. Music (with my harmonici, mouth sounds and recently added Ukulele) helps lead impromptu sing alongs and mini parades. Utilize and interact with other performers(especially musicians) doing silent bits to their "impromtu" back up. That doesn't mean to one up another puppeteer, clown or magician. This is not about ego, but serendipity in making the most out of a situation if and when it arises. Kyle...I really enjoyed reading your post..and even more meeting you and Kelly in Boston.... Keep growing ...glowing ....and sharing.... you are appreciated by, Harris
Harris Deutsch aka dr laugh
drlaugh4u@gmail.com music, magic and marvelous toys http://magician.org/member/drlaugh4u |
magic4u02 Eternal Order Philadelphia, PA 15110 Posts |
Thanks guys. I really do appreciate your kind words and thoughts.
Kyle
Kyle Peron
http://www.kylekellymagic.com Entertainers Product Site http://kpmagicproducts.com Join Our Facebook Fan Page at http://facebook.com/perondesign |
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