Being a Kids' Entertainer Is Magic
If you were ever to ask a professional children's entertainer what the secret is to seizing a child's attention, they would often respond by telling you that the trick isn't to grab that attention but to hold it, ideally throughout an entire performance.
Children do notoriously have a very short attention span. The simple act of blowing up a balloon may prove sufficient to captivate for a fleeting moment, but then someone or something distracts them and their vivid imaginations are drawn to something else.
The mastery of the situation enjoyed by the entertainer or the clown thus depends entirely on managing to remain the focus of the attention of their whole audience.
The precise nature of the occasion will sometimes vary, of course. The event may be something exclusively for small children of a particular age, such as a birthday party. It is likely that it will be easier to retain a child's focus when his or her peers are equally enthralled by what the performer happens to be doing.
On the other hand the act might be part of a wider function, perhaps a village fayre or a fun day of sorts, in which adults and bigger children are themselves participating. The presence of parents or elder siblings in the fairly immediate vicinity provides a possible source of distraction from which the entertainer will need to steer the children.
The clue lies in keeping the audience locked in a perpetual state of "what comes next?". Whether it is balloon bending, clowning, magic tricks or telling a story, the young audience will be kept in an ongoing state of deep anticipation. Even visually the entertainer is a friend whose presence lends comfort and reassurance, and whose conversation is tailored to fire the collective imagination of the target audience.
The kids' entertainer will naturally know how to interact with children. The repertoire may involve the telling of jokes, the performing of card tricks or the manipulation of objects such as balloons in a way that will repeatedly surprise and captivate. The moment that he or she becomes predictable is the moment that the connection is lost. There always needs to be something of the unexpected involved with the performer's routine.
Like any other professional the children's entertainer, potentially, has a propensity to become stale or bored. That is where the expertise of the experienced hand kicks in. Every punch line needs to be delivered with a veneer of excitement and enthusiasm that is consistent throughout the performance.
If you are a children's entertainer you need to be able to keep a smile on your face at all times. Even if it is painted on.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_P_Richards
Children do notoriously have a very short attention span. The simple act of blowing up a balloon may prove sufficient to captivate for a fleeting moment, but then someone or something distracts them and their vivid imaginations are drawn to something else.
The mastery of the situation enjoyed by the entertainer or the clown thus depends entirely on managing to remain the focus of the attention of their whole audience.
The precise nature of the occasion will sometimes vary, of course. The event may be something exclusively for small children of a particular age, such as a birthday party. It is likely that it will be easier to retain a child's focus when his or her peers are equally enthralled by what the performer happens to be doing.
On the other hand the act might be part of a wider function, perhaps a village fayre or a fun day of sorts, in which adults and bigger children are themselves participating. The presence of parents or elder siblings in the fairly immediate vicinity provides a possible source of distraction from which the entertainer will need to steer the children.
The clue lies in keeping the audience locked in a perpetual state of "what comes next?". Whether it is balloon bending, clowning, magic tricks or telling a story, the young audience will be kept in an ongoing state of deep anticipation. Even visually the entertainer is a friend whose presence lends comfort and reassurance, and whose conversation is tailored to fire the collective imagination of the target audience.
The kids' entertainer will naturally know how to interact with children. The repertoire may involve the telling of jokes, the performing of card tricks or the manipulation of objects such as balloons in a way that will repeatedly surprise and captivate. The moment that he or she becomes predictable is the moment that the connection is lost. There always needs to be something of the unexpected involved with the performer's routine.
Like any other professional the children's entertainer, potentially, has a propensity to become stale or bored. That is where the expertise of the experienced hand kicks in. Every punch line needs to be delivered with a veneer of excitement and enthusiasm that is consistent throughout the performance.
If you are a children's entertainer you need to be able to keep a smile on your face at all times. Even if it is painted on.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_P_Richards
posted by global take off at
5:08 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home