We’ve just enjoyed visits from some of the buskers from the recent World Buskers Festival in Christchurch. I managed to catch two of them in action.
Pancho Libre from Mexico was a great hit, especially with the kids.
He began with a large hoop, the “roue cyr wheel”.
I wondered how many bruised knuckles he got while learning these routines.
Using four onlookers to steady it, he then performed on a tall (5-6m) pole:
It was so high that he disappeared amongst the trees when he did his handstand:
The second act, a contortionist called Bendy Em, was one I’d seen seven years ago in Christchurch. The act was almost identical, still impressive. Bendy Em begins with some simple warmups,
before demonstrating her flexibility:
(here’s the same shot taken in the square in Christchurch in 2007:
Again spectators get involved.
But the finale involves Bendy Em fitting herself into that small metal box.
