Performance Strategies

[bkidd]

I know there are a number of experienced performers and teachers on the list so I was wondering if people would be willing to share their strategies for and experiences with:

1. Getting the audience to participate in the performance at some level. It's been my experience that folks who attend percussion-based performances might like to participate at some level (could be call and response or simply dancing), yet encouraging this while keeping some amount of integrity in the performance can be tricky.

2. Adding breaks, dance, song, interesting conversations between parts, or other changes to make the performance more engaging/entertaining for audiences to offer a great experience for everyone while not becoming too gimmicky.

-Brian

[bubudi]

great topic!

it's a lot easier than you might think. the audience is happy to get involved in anything that is fairly easy, especially if it's fun to do. i'm sure the others here have plenty of ideas. a few things to try:
1. get the audience to clap when the rhythm is just starting to get going.
2. do a few simple clap sequences over the rhythm, start with a clap, then do a slap, and gesture for the crowd to repeat (hand out to crowd, or turn head slightly to side and hand to your ear). then two claps, then three, then five, then a nice simple lick that can be clapped, then do something that the crowd clearly can't do like a long, complicated solo phrase or a long roll, and put your hand on your ear as if you expect them to repeat (gets a good laugh).
3. have the soloist or someone else in the group grab a couple of people from the crowd to dance.
4. find a very simple call and response song that the audience can learn repeat straight away, do two runs of the song (with or without clapping), go into the rhythm, do your thing, then finish up with the song (audience joining in) and then clap for the audience.
5. demonstrate a funny or catchy dance step (or put a couple of dance steps together) and tell the audience you will get people up to see who has got the goods. if you have t-shirts or cds, you can give the winner one as a less intrusive way to advertise your merchandise. this gets more people up dancing than anything else.

[bkidd]

neat suggestions bubudi. 2 sounds like a fun one to try out and i hadn't thought of 5. that's great.

[Marshall]

Idea #2 in action (skip to 11:15 in the video): http://www.youtube.com/brunsomarrr#p/u/6/Uh6GcQNyrtE

[bkidd]

that was fun, thanks for the video.

[James]

This comes from street performance:

Works well with kids or with a tough crowd, in fact nearly all conditions.

Do a call a response (or anything else you can think of), but split the crowd in half and use their sense of competition to out do the other half.

Loosens people up a lot.

.....

oh just another one quick.

Get the someone from the audience to help somehow...

they crowd feels more involved since the person represents "them" etc...