Surviving the COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly difficult for artists.
Living in Melbourne, Australia, referred to as the world’s most closed city during the COVID-19 pandemic, was extremely challenging for Lisa Lottie and her partner, Reuben DotDotDot, who went from touring about nine months of the year to being completely occupied by the house. .
As international acrobats, they depend on spectators for sustenance and described the experience as terribly depressing and introspective, during which they explored different career options and adopted a cat.
While Lottie, a well-known hula-hoop artist, was able to get a special permit to perform in circus shows in the UK and Singapore in late 2021, Reuben, a gymnast, stayed Down Under, perform socially distanced performances for small groups outside.
The return of unlimited live shows in recent months has been an emotional experience for both audiences and performers, the pair told the Chronicle recently, returning to town for the Sun Life Financial Waterloo Busker Carnival this weekend.
“People are very happy to be able to experience something different again; sometimes the answer is just tears,” said Lottie, who admitted to crying herself after a recent show in Halifax.
“I expect that kind of excitement to continue for the rest of the summer and we’ll definitely see it here,” she said.
After a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the busker carnival is expanding back to Waterloo Public Square by popular demand, offering revelers a third stage.
Executive committee chairman Randy Warren said there will still be two stages and one between the parking lots off Regina Street and behind city hall.
“Because we’re expanding our road, we’re actually expanding the middle of the road,” Warren said. “There will be a mix of rides for kids, but more rides for seniors as well,” he said, noting the many food vendors and a new artist alley going up on Willis Way.
This year’s list of performers includes a mix of stilt walkers, jugglers, acrobats and comedy.
The Lucky Barber show has been billed as “real, real edgy metal” with “dad jokes and danger” and “tricky knives that raise hair while standing in studded shoes”. The Silver Starlets use a 20-foot free-standing trapeze platform as their stage. The Major League Circus show is “baseball like you’ve never seen it” with freestyle tricks, acrobatics and flame batons.
The festival begins Thursday evening with opening ceremonies on the public square and concludes Sunday with the Family Vaudeville variety show at 5 p.m., when all 10 acts performing over the weekend put on a showcase of what the nonprofit, volunteer-run festival has to offer. seed money, by donation, to start planning for next year.
Warren reminds people that admission to the carnival is free all weekend and entertainers are not paid for their performances, depending on spectator donations.
“When people hear the word ‘buskers,‘ they often think of someone on a street corner,” adds Warren. “These travelers are international buskers and some of them are very trained in what they do. A number of them have trained at Cirque du Soleil or other circus schools around the world, so you’re getting some pretty quality entertainment, but people can be the final judge and decide how much they want to contribute to each act. “
As international artists, Lisa Lottie and Reuben DotDotDot have had some big gigs, but their first love is performing on the road because it crosses the lines of age, religion and socio-economic status.
“You’re entertaining for everyone, including people who might not come out to see it (at a ticketed show),” Ruben said.
Everyone is encouraged to come out to smile, laugh and be amazed.
“You forget about your worries and problems as long as you’re watching the buses and not sitting on your phone or in front of the TV,” Warren said. “You’re actually seeing live entertainment from some pretty amazing and skilled people who travel the world doing this.”
Children who are part of the Buskermania camp will perform on Friday at noon and there will be interactive circus workshops on Saturday and Sunday at noon.
The Story BEHIND THE STORY: After two years away, the Chronicle caught up with the performers and organizers ahead of the Sun Life Financial Waterloo Busker Carnival this weekend.
