One of the unexpected pleasures of walking through Paris is suddenly encountering street performers. The first picture shows a performer near the Centre Georges Pompidou Museum of Modern Art. He was balancing on a series of liquor bottles while music played from his boom box. It was quite lovely to see him in costume and using such simple devices as discarded liquor bottles to do balancing tricks.
The second and third pictures show a very impressive performer right in front of Sacre Coeur, a famous Catholic church in the Monmartre section of Paris. The church is set at the top of a very high hill and can be reached by climbing very many steps. This guy was perched on a balustrade very high up the hill and he was doing ball handling tricks with a soccer ball. There are many African men all around the church trying to sell the tourists things. This guy was obviously a man with a special skill who commanded everyone's attention. He performed while playing that Michael Jackson song with the lyrics--"there are people dying, if you care enough for living, make it a better place for you and for me . . ." I can't remember the title. But he performed for the entire song, eventually climbing the light pole and still passing the ball between his legs and all around his body. Amazing.
The last picture shows a very lively and happy band just set up in the Marais section of Paris. Each member of the group took a solo turn and the young guy out front danced and played the trumpet. I have heard that a number of famous people got their start as street musicians. I wonder if any of these people will succeed?
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