Most of us, at one time or another, have stopped to listen
or watch street performers. Sometimes their acts seem a desperate search for
money. But often, they display a significant amount of talent.
It is quite probable that some of the finest artists in the
world have never reached a major stage. Becoming a famous singer or musician or
dancer, is largely a matter of having your talent “recognized” by someone in a
position to take it to a new level.
I have heard and seen street performers in places all over
the world who have left me wondering why they aren’t part of something more…something
bigger.
Perhaps, for some, it is a conscious choice. They don’t
choose celebrity. For most, however, they are invisible because they live in a
world that is a parallel universe to our own. We may briefly break free from
our individual lives to stop and listen to a marvelous street performer. But the
worth of the performance is usually judged by the stage, and an abandoned
storefront, underground rail station or park bench, are not the surroundings
that merit more than a few moments of our time.
As I watched one of these performances, it became apparent
that this dancer did not need to be validated by surroundings. His message to
me was, no matter what the stage, we always have the power to control our
performance.
The Tap Dancer (In the Cat’s Eye, 2009) is about
that street performance which I saw in New York many years ago. The talent
displayed, the integrity of the performer, and the ability he had to, literally,
stop traffic, remain with me to the present, and are a constant source of
inspiration.
Glenn K. Currie
Pounding the
sidewalk, filled with fury,
Anxious to make
the music hurry,
He moved his feet
to impatient beats,
Translating
languages of the streets.
His boom box
propped against the wall,
Reverberated the
rhythm’s call.
Rapping on
windows, rattling locks,
Accomplice to the
dancer’s knocks.
Then like magic,
harmony flows,
Music and motion
blend and grow.
A small crowd
gathers in the square,
Watching the
artist paint the air.
Performing for a
jaded few,
On a stage of
obstructed view.
A master dances,
playing taps,
Talent sold, for
coins in a cap.
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