The Beat of New York
The city of NY has filled tons of lines in travel magazines, books, movie scripts and newspapers. I don’t think there is a single person in this planet who does not know about NY. We all know the city either because we have been there or because we have watched movies and shows that take place in the streets of the big apple. This emblematic city grabs the attention of any traveller due to its unique skyline, the beauty of its Parks, the top quality cultural offer, its broad culinary offer and the never ending shopping options, …
But, how many lines have been written about NY’s street performers? I love the city for all the reasons mentioned, but for me what it is probably the most amazing value of this city is – its ENERGY – the Beat of New York is unbeatable.
Thank you to hundreds of extremely professional street performers, we can all, residents and visitors, enjoy top class cultural shows without having to queue or pay a ticket. From magic tricks, to free style dancing, passing through the most incredible human forms, our eyes get candy for the day.
These great artists work hard to paint a smile in our faces and inject doses of energy in our system. They can turn a bad day into a better one. They work under any weather conditions; they perform on rough surfaces and burning asphalt. And guess what? They love it. For them is more important to express their art than having a fixed salary, medical insurance and an office. Every day, when they wake up, everything starts from scratch. They go out there and make their best performance to get some good rewards to buy food and pay the bills. They are freelancers – with all what it takes – the beauty of being free and its responsibility!
Freelancers need to make everything happen, they need a strong resilience not to give up in the toughest moments. I admire every street performer I have met in NY, they go every day to a corner of a street, a popular square, a charming park or to the unique subway to give it all, express themselves and share their talent.
Happily, I must say, NY is one of the best cities in the World to be a street performer. People generally understand their situation and appreciate their art. So not only they will give back a warm applause, they will generously scratch their pockets and purses to give them some coins or notes.
In my week in NYC, working on this fascinating project – The Beat of NY, Dance & Street Performance – I was fortunate to meet interesting and beautiful people who made a strong impact on myself. I have formed a bond with these people. I can’t wait to meet them again in September and begin the second part of this journey.
