Profession street performer

Street performers create street arts performances for outdoor spaces, using space and audience as a creative resource. They create their performance through playful exploration and experimentation with the purpose of entertaining and possibly also of sharing critical opinions concerning societal issues. They stimulate audience participation as a component of their performance whilst respecting the audience's safety and integrity.

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Knowledge

• Street art history

  History of street performance and street art traditions.

• Art history

  The history of art and artists, the artistic trends throughout centuries and their contemporary evolutions.

Skills

• Ensure health and safety of visitors

  Take the necessary precautions to ensure the physical safety of an audience or people visiting an activity. Prepare actions in case of emergency. Administer first aid and direct emergency evacuations.

• Accept feedback on artistic performance

  Accept feedback, proposed discussions and avenues of exploration about the precision of movements, rhythm, musicality, precision of the performance, interaction with peers and stage elements, areas requiring improvement. Take feedback into account to develop the potential as performer. Note the choreographers/repetiteur/dance master instructions, the instructions of other collaborators (dramaturge, performers/dancers peers, musicians, etc.) assuring being in the same page with direction team.

• Work independently as an artist

  Develop one's own ways of doing artistic performances, motivating oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.

• Work with respect for own safety

  Apply the safety rules according to training and instruction and based on a solid understanding of the prevention measures and risks to your own personal health and safety.

• Maintain an artistic portfolio

  Maintain portfolios of artistic work to show styles, interests, abilities and realisations.

• Perform in a public space

  Use bodily actions to interrupt and interact with the structure of the public space.

• Gather reference materials for artwork

  Gather samples of the materials you expect to use in the creation process, especially if the desired piece of art necessitates the intervention of qualified workers or specific production processes.

• Interact with an audience

  Convey the artistic values of the art form(s). Respond to the reactions of your audience and involve them.

• Memorise lines

  Memorise your role in a performance or broadcast, whether it is text, movement, or music.

• Enable audience participation

  Encourage the audience to share a different perspective on objects, themes, artefacts, etc. Use the visit or the mediation activity as an opportunity to experience an open space for dialogue and getting to know each other. The very moment must heighten a better understanding of broad, social processes, issues, and their various representations.

• Perform live

  Perform in front of live audiences.

• Use public space as a creative resource

  Adapt the public space for a street arts performance.

• Analyse own performance

  Understand, analyse and describe your own performance. Contextualize your work in one or various styles, trends, evolution, etc. Self-evaluate your work in rehearsals and performances.

• Self-promote

  Promote yourself by joining networks and circulating promotional material such as demos, media reviews, website, or a biography. Form a promotion and management team. Propose your services to future employers or producers.

• Show professional responsibility

  Ensure that other workers and clients are treated with respect and that appropriate civil liability insurance is in place at all times of instructing.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB