What do a tennis racquet, a picture frame, a toilet seat and a sweatband all have in common? Jonathan Burns, a contortionist at the upcoming third annual International Street Performers Festival, can fit through all four.
Audiences were treated to a preview of upcoming activities and performances, including Burns’ “flexible comedy” routine in which he, at turns, strutted his stuff or flailed around enveloped in a toilet seat. Australia-based husband and wife performers, Mr. Spin, and Pandora Pink, joined Burns for the preview with their juggling and balance routines.
Pandora and Mr. Spin, also known as Louise Clarke and Nigel Martin, have travelled across Canada for street performance festivals before but this tour, with previous stops in Edmonton and Grande Prairie, will be their first time performing in North Battleford.
“I’ve never been to Saskatchewan before. It’s nice because you’ve been doing the street theatre festival here, and you guys have been doing it for three years now and you’ve really embraced it,” said Clarke. “I think it’s a really accessible form of art.”
So far, the public seems to agree. Last year, North Battleford’s International Street Performers Festival was awarded the Community Event of the Year by Saskatchewan Tourism Awards of Excellence.
This year, organizers hope to continue their success and promise that this event will be the “best yet and the biggest year ever.”
“People can expect a great show,” Martin said. “And if they come to mine they’ll get about 10 oh wows! and 40 or 50 hahahas!”
The festival runs downtown Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Friday’s hours are 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday’s hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday’s hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
