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Buskerfest gets a new look
(Hamilton Spectator, June 5 2013)

It will be "Cirque du Soleil unplugged" at a refreshed Dundas International Buskerfest.

First-year creative director Allison Williams may not have managed a busker festival before, but she's no stranger to the world of street performance.

Williams actually performed at Dundas's Buskerfest three times with her own circus-style performance group Aerial Angels from 2006 to 2008. This time around, she's completely focused on managing the creative side of the event taking place in downtown Dundas from Friday to Sunday.

She brings the benefit of her own experience and contacts to a fresh version of Buskerfest at its 16th annual edition. Williams said 100 performers applied for the 13 available spots this year. She also sought out some of the best street performers from around the world.

"We have performers you would pay $50 to $60 to see in a theatre. You get to see them here up close on the street," Williams said. "We are Cirque du Soleil unplugged."

Visitors to this year's Buskerfest will be treated to several stripped-down versions of gala theatre-style performances. And at Buskerfest the shows are all free, with the performers earning their pay from audience tips — whatever you think they deserve.

This year's event features a few returning audience favourites, but was planned to include as many first-time Dundas performances as possible. Five of the 13 featured acts are making their Canadian debuts at Buskerfest.

Among the new highlights are the duo Les Vitamines featuring comic acrobats Vincent Dubé and Sébastien Tardiff.

Hula hoop artist Lisa Lottie, from Amsterdam, brings an act that can't easily be defined. Just one of her featured YouTube videos has well over a million views.

Contortionist Jonathon Burns has performed on The Tonight Show and The Late Show with David Letterman.

Dundas International Buskerfest, a Downtown Dundas BIA event, features performances along King Street West starting Friday from 6:30 to 10 p.m., continuing Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. and finishing off Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.


Also featured on the festival schedule:

All Wound Up
Circo Loco
Circus Firemen
Djuggledy
Fire Fingers
Goma
Peter Rabbit
Reuben DotDotDot
The Red Trouser Show
Theo Teabag
Throw2Catch