Dancing/buskers on William Street

I'm just wondering if anyone has seen the group of break dancers/street performers on William Street, and if they have an opinion on them?

I saw them there on Saturday afternoon. I'm pretty sure I have seen them there another time too. They seem to get a decent sized crowd around them whenever they perform.

I'm hoping people can share their own opinions on this group. I have a very strong opinion on them

Basically, I dont think this carry on should be allowed. I'm all for street performers, and buskers. I've seen this very same show being performed in Central Park in New York, near Santa Monica Pier in LA, and somewhere in London and San Francisco as well.

The script is basically identical, which leads me to believe that some group is behind all of these shows, and making a pretty penny out them

The reason I think it shouldn't be allowed, is in my opinion, they are forcing/guilting people to hand over money for the show. The first time I saw the show, and I realised what was going on, I walked away disgusted.
They got people involved in the show, and basically went through their wallets, and said something like, "Oh, you have $60 dollars here. Surely you can afford $30 so you're out of the danger zone"

There looked to be an intimidation factor involved, and I think it should be stopped.

Thoughts?

biko

Are you saying they're bringing people into the show and making them take wallets out, and taking money out of the wallets?
Are they Irish or American?

biko

biko wrote: »

Are you saying they're bringing people into the show and making them take wallets out, and taking money out of the wallets?
Are they Irish or American?

I think the guys are always local, but the script looks to be almost identical in each venue
What I seem to remember from when I saw it before, is that coming to the end of the show, they get some members of the crowd to be part of the show. They line them (maybe 6 people) up, and act like one of their performers are going to run, and jump, and flip over the line of 6 of them.
They make a big song and dance about the person at the back being in the "Danger zone" and then offer to move them towards the front, or let them get out of the line for some money. They'll point at an obvious wallet in the pocket of the person, and say something like "Wow, you've obviously got your wallet there. We can move you to the front for only €10. Look at that lovely top you're wearing, you can obviously afford €10"

I can't remember exactly how it worked, but it felt like a scam to me.
I was hoping someone else may have seen it, and give their thoughts on it.

I'm open to being corrected/informed, as I refuse to watch it now, so it might have changed. The reason I think it is the same the one I saw in New York, is because I have walked by it in other cities, and the script always looks to be the same.

Your Face

Ring the Gardai and ask them to look into it.

ben.schlomo

As with anything like this if people are unable to walk past things without saying no then they really have no cause to complain.

biko

The buskers are goading people into giving money but then again you cannot protect people all the time.
They are adults and just have to make their own mistakes.

Get a Trocaire bucket and go up to the buskers and ask for money "surely you had food today, think of the starving children"

I agree that people need to take responsibility for themselves, hence why I walked away from it.
It's possible that the show they put on in Galway is not the exact same as what I have seen abroad.

This, I suppose, is why I was hoping for other peoples opinion on it. Someone who has seen it in Galway.
They do put on a very good show generally, but I feel that if they are intimidating people into giving them money, then it gives a bad taste of Galway, and IMO should potentially be stopped