Street Performers Make Their Annual Pilgrimage to Provincetown

Another fine musician joins PTown's summer lineup.

This woman is dressed for the chill that still hangs in the PTown air. She plays her accordion with great skill, and it will be a pleasure to have her in town. She spent a good bit of the winter in the Florida Keys, and most recently has played on the streets of Burlington, Vermont.
In the few moments that I talked with her I learned that she's been playing and traveling extensively, busking for a time wherever she has found the opportunity, and hopes to find a way to be able to spend the summer here in Provincetown. We would all be the richer for it.
Within that same few moments, three prominent local musicians, known for street performances and cabaret appearances, stopped to welcome her and to make connections.
Ya gotta love a town like this!

Ptown Groove Brings a Beat to the Street

The other day as a couple of musicians began creating a beat in front of Town Hall, a spontaneous performance broke out as people walking by stopped to join in, either by picking up an instrument, or singing, or moving with the rhythm, and pedestrians began dancing their way down the street. Roxanne Layton and Sylvie Richard have formed Ptown Goove, a percussion ensemble that's bringing a beat to the street. They will be found this summer creating a little rhythm along Commercial Street, and perhaps in a few other spots as well.

A man begins break-dancing as Cheryl Aruda (in white) sings, and
Roxanne Layton (seated on her drum) and Sylvie Richard create the rhythm.

When I mentioned that I wished I had a video camera with me, Roxanne handed me her cell phone and I began shooting a little video as she and Sylvie got a beat going with their two drums. And then a remarkable thing happened... Cheryl Aruda (bluesy vocalist extraordinaire from the Dirty Blonde band) was walking by, and broke out into a soulful rendition of Fever, the Peggy Lee hit from the 1950s. Then a young man stepped up and began breaking to the beat. Click to Watch Ptown Groove on Commercial Street, and the others who joined in with them in this serendipitous street performance. Ya gotta love a town like this!

Roxanne Layton, seated, plays her cajon
while Sylvie Richard plays her djembe.

Later, a woman walking down Commercial Street grabbed a pair of rhythm sticks from Roxanne's drum bag and began adding another layer of percussion to the mix. She was soon followed by local street performer Billy Striani (a wonderful singer and guitarist) who grabbed a pair of rainbow flags and began swirling and twirling them behind the drummers as they laid down the rhythm.
Another day, in the photo to the left, Roxanne is again seated on her cajon, a large box drum hailing from Peru, with wooden walls, each of different thicknesses, making different sounds when struck with the hands. Inside the drum, a snare (a series of long, wiry fingers, like those inside a snare drum) has been attached, so it vibrates against one side of the box when it is struck, creating another kind of sound.
Sylvie plays the djembe, a West African goblet drum capable of a wide variety of sounds. In the Bambara language, spoken in three West African countries, "djembe" translates to "gather together in peace" and defines the purpose of this drum.
Watch for Ptown Groove to appear in front of Town Hall and in spots around town as they perform on our streets, and if you're so inclined, join them in creating that groove, and a bit of marvelous entertainment on the streets of Provincetown.

Pirates Strolling Commercial Street Amuse Provincetown Visitors

These two fine gentlemen, who each live in the Harwich area, come to PTown on the odd weekend to walk the streets in costume and in character as pirates of the early 18th century, to the delight of all who meet them. Their costumes are impressive, down to the finest detail, and their banter sounds as though they had actually spent some time on the high seas, transporting us all back to the swashbuckling era of the 1700s with their good-natured humor about the life of a pirate and their quaint manner of speaking. As the heat and humidity rose today to staggering levels, they had to cast off their coats, but they still completely looked the part as they wandered Commercial Street, carrying their small pirate's chest where people they've amused or posed for photos with can deposit a tip.
They've performed at many events such as the Cape Cod Maritime Festival, the Chatham Fourth of July celebration, and others. They've done various parties and events, and, yes, even weddings. Visit their website if you should need to rent a pirate, and in the meantime, continue to enjoy them when they visit the streets of Provincetown. And don't forget to tip your pirate.

Street Performers Enrich Our Lives With Their Art Forms

In the summertime, Provincetown will have a tremendous variety of street performers who have come to town to find an appreciative audience in the thousands of people swarming along Commercial Street every day. Street performers are often found in many spots along Commercial Street and in Lopes Square on Standish Street, particularly in the late afternoon and evening.

The White Lady remains motionless,
which is very hard work

Some performers are musicians, some make balloon animals or paint the faces of children, some don period costumes and portray historical characters, such as the pirates sometimes found in front of Town Hall with a big treasure chest to receive tips from people passing by. Others perform by being perfectly still, like The White Lady, standing absolutely motionless until someone puts a tip in the basket on the ground next to her, at which point she will reward the contributor, often by blowing a kiss, and then striking a different pose. She stands absolutely still, unblinking and unflinching despite the antics of kids trying to make her react. Thinking parents will stop their kids from harassing performers and use the moment to teach a bit about boundaries and respect for others, as well as an appreciation for all of the many forms of art that can be found in the world around us.
The White Lady exhibits not only a remarkable talent for her chosen avocation but an admirable forbearance in remaining unfazed by those without the mental capacity to appreciate art when they encounter it.
She and her boyfriend, the very tall man often seen holding court after-hours in the driveway of the Seamens bank parking lot, entertaining large crowds with magic tricks and illusions, each make their living by performing on streets all around the country. They have travelled to Provincetown this summer to enjoy some of the natural beauty that surrounds us, as well as to perform for the large crowds of visitors found on PTown streets on any given day of the summer. Street artists and performers enhance the landscape of our streets, enrich our lives with their performances, and bring more visitors to town as a result. Some of these visitors name the diverse mix of street performers found here as one of the reasons they come to Provincetown. Look for these performers pretty much wherever there is a wide spot in the sidewalk, or any place where they can attract a bit of a crowd without interfering with the flow of traffic, like the driveway or front steps of the U.S. Post Office in the evenings, or under the tree at the old library at the corner of Commercial and Freeman streets. Watch for upcoming posts about a number of other street artists and performers in various spots around town.
And the next time you run across a street artist, whether it might be a human statue, a pirate, a singer or a group of musicians, pause for a moment and be entertained, and be sure to leave a tip in the bucket, basket or guitar case.