(COSTA RICA) San Jose has buskers singing the blues. Avenida Blues, a traditional blues band in Costa Rica, is finding national resistance to their style of music and performing. The buskers have been working for the past months filming their performances on the streets, issues with police, and concerts at large national festivals in the country.Due to severe lack of interest of the blues in Costa Rica, they are trying to get exposure with the international blues community. With different administration changes, the police have taken down several artists, jailed some others, and have confiscated equipment. A strike in January resulted in a movement called "Nuestra Calle" when there was the reported abuse of power by local authorities in the arrest of a sax player.

The Avendia blues band has been working hard...

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(BUSKER CENTRAL) Most buskers are past coming of age and well into their mid-life when they begin to ponder their future. Although the oldest busker was 70+ years old, he had other sidelines such as children's and company parties to see him through. We don't want to think about it but need to ponder this same question. What will you be doing after your busking career has ended?It may seem scary now to think of such matters but just imagine how scary it would be if you hadn't made plans for your senior years. Many have continued their performances by going to the private and commercial sectors. Magicians and clowns are easily able to make this transition. But what about, for example, jugglers and musicians? Will they be able to do the same?

Fortunately, there are many new approaches to said problem...

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(WWW) In these challenging times, we must all remember to go directly to the people. The busker must first "seek" an appropriate audience and go from there. The surprise impromptu performance is almost always welcome in the tourist industry. Even flea markets and towne festivals have been known to welcome the busker. Where else can you draw a nice crowd then entertain them?Not any ol' street corner will do these days. You will need throngs of toursits to entertain and make a decent amount of "appreciation". What's just as important is a smile on your face which is rare these days. A smile disarms people and they, more often than not, willl smile back instantly making a connection.

Whether you're a circle show or stand-alone musician, you should always have cd's or dvd's of your show...

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(BANGKOK) The International Bangkok Street Show is for professional buskers only. Featuring over 52 acts from Thai and around the world, it's one of the largest buskerfests around. Check out the scene through the link below.Bangkok International Street Show

A man attracted scores of curious onlookers when he performed the highly unusual stunt of inflating balloons with his eyes during a special show in Changsha, capital of Hunan province, last Thursday.

Pin Zui (stage name) wore a pair of glasses with a plastic pipeline linked to the balloon and drew wild applause from the crowd after fully inflating it.

Pin, a member of China television Guinness art troupe, performs his stunt in public in many cities around the country.

He is said to be the first person able to use his eyes to blow up balloons on the mainland.

(China Foto Press)