If you walk along church street, you
will find after the church, a group of "black guys": (that's how they
call themselves) making the show and earning some dollars. These boys were
african-americans who have decide to make money by dancing in the streets of
New York City. They walked along with radio and speakers; they have some little
buckets to collect money. The band I met was composed of four boys (street
dancers) and an older man who acts as the team manager. There were shirtless.
What is funnier about them is that
they are not only dancing. They also try to communicate with other communities
by interesting messages such as:
- "Yong whites, you don't need
to be afraid about black guys, what you need to be afraid of is Alcohol, tobacco,
drug, illiteracy"
- "White men shouldn't be
afraid of black people, we are not enemies, but we are brothers..."
No matter how funny the show was, I
wasn't very satisfied because it was too short and they didn't really dance. As
many tourists, I end up giving them some dollars.
My opinion is that the idea is good and should be
encouraged, but the show needs to be more professional and better prepared. In addition, the "street dance" should be formalized since it is a spontaneous and attractive activity and is also part of the US culture. This formalization could bring a better organisation, a best show and more money and could create some stable jobs.
Street performers are very much a part of NYC culture. I'm glad you enjoyed them. As you discovered, sometimes the banter is as amusing as the actual music or dance. I understand what you're saying about formalizing the art form, but wouldn't that change its basic nature so much that it wouldn't be as much fun?
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