Last night… just as fun… me, Spiderman and Bones walked along the Halifax Waterfront enjoying one busker performance after the next before stopping for a COWS ice cream and heading home past dark.
We watched “Lords of Strut“… laughing at the ridiculous antics of “Seamus” and “Shawn” in their horrid spandex and tight shorts. The look on Spiderman’s face was priceless… half amusement and half embarrassment as the boys lunged and strutted in their unitards. I couldn’t stop thinking of my friend CA… how funny she’d find their “sex appeal” which was oh so wrong in so many ways.
“Galumpha” kept us entertained with their talent of wrapping their bodies around one another in choreographed art. Their strength… their balance… their ability to keep the audience entertained was quite spectacular. I was impressed with the uniqueness of their show and my understanding of the years of dance that put them on the street in the first place as I’d watched The Tall Blond perform for many years before giving it up to head to university… where I see now… she could give it all up and perform on the street!
“Aidan Orange“… ehhhh… not really my thing. Maybe the fire would be more interesting at night but at the same time… balancing a lawn mower on his chin while throwing lettuce into the blades would be particularly dangerous at dark! I found he spent more time telling me what he was “going” to do and waiting for the show to start than actually performing his act and I just wanted him to get on with it.
We finished the night with “Silly People“. The kids and I sitting on the bleachers with a bag of popcorn and smiles on our faces as they kept us entertained with their foolishness. Their final act with a young boy from the audience challenged to a balloon sword duel was full of entertainment value and simply a perfect way to end our evening.
The performances are a far cry from the random buskers on the streets when Busker Fest began 25 years ago. The waterfront was packed… vendors were everywhere… and there was a great deal more “structure” to the event than in the past. Probably a good thing.
All in all… it was a great night of amusement not unlike the night I spent out with my girlfriends’ the evening before where we lunged in spandex, wrapped our bodies around one another, waited for the show to begin and finished the night with a duel.
I’ve the weekend to enjoy Bones and Spiderman before they head out on Monday for two weeks with their father. At that point… I’ll be looking for ways to keep myself busy and chances are there’ll be a few nights on the town. If I try real hard… I might be able to convince Little-One to lunge in a unitard?