The stage is set, and the very best of local busking talent will soon gather at the V&A Waterfront for a festival filled with tremendous talent and eclectic sounds.
Off the back of August auditions, The Cape Town Buskers Festival has cemented the final selection of acts happening from 4 to 5 October.
This includes four well-known international buskers and 19 exceptional local busking acts.
Freestyle footballing, anarchic poetry
Victor Rubilar (Argentina), Shandy South (UK), Sharon Mahoney (Canada), and Thelmo Parole (Spain) will showcase skills ranging from mime and improvisational stand-up comedy, to freestyle footballing and anarchic poetry.
Local acts, selected based on a rigorous audition process, include Al Petersen (guitarist and singer), Reinhardt Buhr (looping and didgeridoo), Mmino (band), Jo and the Gangamuffins (guitarist featuring mouth accordion), the Siyazama Cultural Group, Cape Town Freestyle, and the Hlangani Marimba Band.
In addition to being a celebration of the art of busking, the festival has also been designed to bring buskers together to share skills and develop the busking category in South Africa. The buskers will also participate in a series of skill-building and -sharing workshops. during the Festival.
International buskers
Victor Rubilar isn’t just a regular performer. He’s a true football freestyle star with 18 international awards under his belt, five Guinness World Records and shows in 52 countries, he will not only entertain you, but will also amaze with jaw-dropping, world-class tricks.
The Shandy South show is a highly visual, slick, sophisticated version of street dance, mime, and improvisational stand-up – a real funky theatrical extravaganza that audiences of all ages and nationalities can enjoy.
Sharon Mahoney is your “typical Canadian” – polite, patriotic, apologetic and passive aggressive. Being an ambassador can be exhausting. With a little ‘help’ from the audience, she transforms into her more direct counter-part Miss Tallulah, and shows people what being libertine is all about!
Thelmo Parole – ‘A romantic warrior buffoon’ is apparently the way to describe Samuel Penhastro’s unique creation. Revelling in chaos and disorder, this lovably anarchic character skips the fence from innocence to adversity. Creating poetry and challenging the audience to accept that norms can be ingeniously broken. The show combines cabaret clowning, circus and comedy with razor-sharp aesthetics.
Local buskers
Abikondela Marimba – Marimba band
Nku-Magic (Nkombuzo) – Magician
Shifu Xiong – Kung fu performance
Mazula – Singer-guitarists
Cape Town Freestyle – Freestylers with soccer balls
Al Petersen – Guitarist and singer
Reinhardt Buhr – Looping and didgeridoo
Street Kings – Brass band
Jo and the Gangamuffins – Guitarist with mouth accordion
Siyazama Cultural – Singers and dancers
Dreamers Gumboot Dance – Gumboot dance group
Hlangani Marimba – Marimba band
Siyabuya Marimba (Max) – Opera marimbas
Major Voices – Singers and dancers
Didi & Julian – Guitarist and violinist
Showman Entertainment – Circus acts, acrobatics, break-dancing
AnecNote – Kevin Smuts – Acapella singing
Mmino (Hajo) – Band
Zenn Viljoen – Looping
What: The Cape Town Buskers Festival 2017
When: 4 to 5 October, 2017
Where: V&A Waterfront, Cape Town
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