Breakdancers Hit Hard by Economy

[Liberal_in_LA]

Posted June 02, 2010 Breakdancers Hit Hard by Economy
By Jennifer Wong

It’s no secret that the happiest people are those who have found a job that they truly love. Khrist Newman’s love was always breakdancing. There was one small problem though. How could he support himself doing it?

Newman is president and leader of dance group Positive Brothers, a five-member breakdancing troupe that has been performing in New York City's Times Square and Battery Park for more than 10 years. Though the group has suffered through the economic downturn, they’ve begun to tweak their money-making strategy in order to increase revenue.

“Through the rough times, it was really rough. We was making anywhere between $10 to $20 each,” Newman says. “And that was rough because it was hard to pay bills and we had to sacrifice basically get what we needed. We really couldn’t get anything we wanted around that time.”

These days Positive Brothers are doing slightly better. They currently manage to draw $200 from crowds in a given day, earning $40 per person, though in their pre-recession heyday, the group was raking in $350, or $70 each. They say it’s all about the economy.

The dancers have noticed fewer foreign tourists visiting New York City. The street performers once received currency from international destinations as far as Brazil, Australia and the Cayman Islands. Today Newman and his group mainly collect American and Canadian bills, suggesting that overseas tourists are remaining home to save money. Given the weakened state of the euro, and strength of the dollar, this isn’t surprising

http://www.mainstreet.com/article/career/employment/breakdancers-hit-hard-economy?cm_ven=msnetzero

[TlalocW]

1. You can survive in New York City making $40 a day breakdancing?

I'm taking my balloon animals and moving to New York City.

TlalocW

[ShamelessHussy]

2. Interesting, and sad to hear about the drop in tourist from abroad

i bet a bunch are just turned off by extreme security policies/obsessions, too.

best of luck to the break-dancers, they are helluva athletic entertainers!

[Confusious]

3. It should have died in the 80's. Maybe this will kill it. One can hope. NT

[Jennicut]

4. My husband makes about $200 a night playing in his band, in NY and Boston.

That is on the side though, with a full time day job. Though he makes that just for himself, the band splits the total 5 ways. $200 for the entire band? Yikes! That would be rough to rely on that kind of income. He never knows if the club or bar will like the band and hire them back and the worse the economy is, the less of a crowd there is. Tough life, but at least they are doing what they love.

[meow mix]

5. was expecting an onion link

this is 2010 right?

[Liberal_in_LA]

7. I see street breakdancers in los angeles....the kind of stuff they do on 'so you think you can dance

or that other dance show

[flamingdem]

6. The break dancers of New York City are amazing

If you haven't seen what they have developed into over the last decade you need to go check it out.

[yella_dawg]

8. I thought breakdancers were hit hard by the fact that it ain't the eighties anymore.

[HooptieWagon]

9. Busking

A friend of mine moved to Philly a year and a half ago. Until she got a job she'd take the train to NYC and busk during the lunch hours... she said she'd pull in about $35-40 in a couple hours. Another friend is hanging out in Europe, he pulls in about $200/day busking in Amsterdam.
Mixed results around the Tampa Bay area, afternoon and early evening busking in Ybor City is under $10. Busking in St Pete about 2 AM when the bars let out is pretty good, $30 or more for an hour or so.

[Mari333]

10. the arts in general as anything else has been screwn by the recession

thats just the way it is now.