December - balloons as entertainment within a performance

Started by Danny the Idiot, November 30, 2008, 10:16:25 AM

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Danny the Idiot

As Fuzzy has asked for this ... here it is!

December's Topic
 
Balloons used as entertainment within a performance
Danny Schlesinger
Balloon Excellence Award Winner
https://dannytheidiot.com
https://www.CircoRidiculoso.com
Follow me on Twitter at @danny_the_idiot

Fuzzy

Thanks Danny.

At birthday parties I always make a balloon flower with loads of business 10 fun packed mins at least.

After I finish with it I give it to the birthday child and tell them to give it to their mum, say thank you for the party and give here a big kiss.

When the child hands it over I get all the kids to say thank you as well and give her a big clap.

It's good to hear the other Mum's sigh and say Ahh!

Fuzz

Emazdad

During my magic show I make 3 balloons for my helpers, all are part pre-made with the final being  being the putting the bits together with a funny routine.

I give away Simon the Jelly clown,

The Basket ball hat Billy Wiz and I invented,

and the birthday child gets dressed up as a Lion


If you look behind the girl with the Clown you'll also see one of the bribery and corruption ballons I give away to the best behaved loudest magic word shouter.
Yours Funfully
Clive
http://www.emazdad.co.uk

Danny the Idiot

I put this in in July's discussion and its still relevant here,

Part of article by Don Caldwell posted on Balloon HQ.
I like this article because it sets out the basic forms of a balloon show.

What Is It?
Balloon:
An inflatable bladder, typically latex. Often made in bright, vibrant colors or odd shapes for use at festive gatherings.

Show:
A public performance or display of an entertaining nature.

Balloon Show:
A public performance of an entertaining nature that features brightly colored inflatable bladders made of latex.

So much for the general description. Lets get specific.

Everyone has their own personal definition of what a balloon show is, and it varies greatly from performer to performer. Here are some of the varieties that I have seen.

Balloon Twisting:
This is a show that is based purely in the creation of the sculpture. Often set to music or combined with storytelling, the artist stands on stage and creates balloon sculptures. This is one of the more difficult forms of balloon entertainment. Although the creation of a balloon sculpture can be fascinating, it often takes a skilled performer combined with visually intriguing sculptures, to hold an audience for any real length of time.

Balloon Storytelling:
This can take many forms. It can be a story that is told using balloon sculptures as illustrations, or a story told about the sculpture itself as it is being made. One of the most popular forms is to bring audience members on stage to act out as story, and use balloon costumes and props to set the scene.

Balloon Magic:
Magic effects that involve balloons. There are two schools of thought on this. Some believe that it is merely any trick that involves a balloon, while the real purists believe that the effect should be about the balloon and not merely involve one. Ask yourself the question, "Does this effect need to be done with balloons, or would it work as well or better with something else."

Balloon Comedy:
Using balloons as a prop for comedic purposes, often physical comedy. This would include but in no way be limited to, those dumb enough to climb into a 6' Balloon.

Balloon Mime:
A mime performance that uses balloons as props within the story being told.

Balloon Puppetry:
A balloon show that uses balloons as puppets. Often uses black art or black light balloons to hide the puppeteer(s). Can be used as a form of storytelling, or set to music. I have not seen a ventriloquist dummy made of balloons yet, but I am hoping.

Balloon Games:
The performer brings people up on stage and conducts games that involve balloons. Some examples include having adults try to blow up a balloon, having people try to create a balloon sculpture, and balloon relay races. Done right these can have hilarious results.

Balloon Music:
There are a select few performers who have braved this area of balloon performance. S. Frank Stringham of Las Vegas does an amazing show where he twists while he sings. Several others have actually used balloons to create working musical instruments!

Balloon Juggling:
I have seen it done. You can find a great example on Larry Moss's "Flying An Octopus" DVD. There is a brief clip of Larry and Todd Neufeld juggling three huge sections of the tentacles during construction. It is pretty funny. This category also includes any balancing acts done with a balloon.

Balloon Science:
There are many science demonstrations and experiments possible with balloons. There are a number of performers have used these to successfully create educational programs for schools, libraries, and museums.

Now, as you might has figured out already, there is a lot of crossover from one category to another. Often times many different styles of performance are used within one show and even within one routine. If you check my past columns for my Alien Invasion routine, you will see that it combines twisting, storytelling, comedy, and magic within one five minute sketch. Larry Moss combines science, comedy, and storytelling in one of his shows. And Royal Sorell combines magic, mime, and physical comedy beautifully in his.

And I have not covered everything here. There are some acts I have seen that just defy description. And I am sure there are a few categories that I have overlooked, or have yet to be discovered.
Danny Schlesinger
Balloon Excellence Award Winner
https://dannytheidiot.com
https://www.CircoRidiculoso.com
Follow me on Twitter at @danny_the_idiot

jake g

I do a 20-25 minute balloon act as part of my magic show.  It could be a stand alone show if I wanted to, but it doesn't give me enough time for most of my shows which are generally about 45 minutes long.  It's all audience participation, sometimes the entire audience participating, other times anywhere from one to five kids 'on stage'.   The balloons give a whole new dimension to the show, and works great particularly if you have a repeat booking and want to show something different.