Rules

You

A theory I've borrowed from the juggling world proposes that the audience for a juggling routine will be watching the performer at least as much as the tricks being performed.  From my own experiences, I can only concur. The importance of creating a strong first impression has been proven on many occasions.  For the yo-yo player, this could mean that your audience has formed an opinion of you even before you've thrown your first trick.  As such, if you can win them over by your appearance and personality alone, you'll be making life much easier for yourself.  I don't think it's any coincidence that many of the most prominent people in the contemporary yo-yo world (Steve Brown, Takeshi, Black, Doc Pop...etc) present a strong personal image.

How you might go about developing an effective performance persona of your own is hard to define, as it'll be different for everyone.  For some people, the process will be a natural one, as they'll already have developed themselves in this manner as part of their everyday life.  However, for many others, this process can be a problem - not least because of society's unrelenting pressure to ensure conformance to current trends.  It can be hard to build the confidence to do your own thing!  Experiment, take risks, follow your instincts, seek feedback, read fiction, read theatrical or self-help books...the more you work at it, the more likely it is that you'll strike gold.

Visibility

This next bit of information might not come as a surprise, but I feel it necessary to state that yo-yos aren't very big.  They're not as big as cars, not as big as televisions and rarely even as big as tennis balls.  What's more, although string can be very long indeed, it tends not to be very wide at all.  Indeed, it's much thinner than even a quite small thing - like, for instance, a yo-yo.  Do you get my point yet?

If you're going to be performing with a yo-yo, you'd think that it would be an obvious step to ensure that your moves can be seen by your intended audience.  Like, for example, wearing clothes that contrast with the colour of your yo-yo and string.  Or making sure that your arty Anime pogs don't turn to a dull brown mush the moment the yo-yo starts spinning.  Or remembering not to wear a t-shirt with images and writing all over it.  Or using a clean string.  Sadly, having now watched many videos, freestyles and performances, it would appear that this isn't as obvious as I first thought.

Costume

If you've read the preceding two paragraphs, you'll know that you should wear something that contrasts with your yo-yo and string, that it shouldn't contain text, patterns or pictures and that you should attempt to look distinctive and interesting.  Is there any more to add about costumes...?

...well, yes, a lot. In fact, far too much to be properly covered here.  Whether you like it or not, other people will notice what you're wearing and judge you accordingly. For that reason, it's important to put accross an effective and deliberate statement about yourself or the character you wish to portray. So, check out films, history books, art, pop videos, TV or the internet for inspiration.  Search through vintage or second hand shops for interesting items.  Find out if your local fancy-dress hire shop has anything that seems appropriate.  Learn how to use a sewing machine.  Learn about stage make-up.  Buy a hat.  At the end of the day, the more thought and effort you put into it, the greater the rewards will be.

Don't assume, however, your costume has to be elaborate, outrageous or expensive.  It may well be that a simple black shirt is enough to define your image.  Or that an unusual accessory will be enough to make you stand out from the crowd. As I said at the beginning of this page, there are no rules. Just make sure that you give the impression that you've put some thought and effort into it.

Music

It's easy to decide that you're going to perform a routine to music.  After all, it'll mean that you get to avoid the tricky and scary business of public speaking!  However, what's not so easy is choosing an appropriate soundtrack to your masterpiece (well, choosing something worthwhile, at any rate).  If selected carefully, a good piece of music may be able to turn a straightforward sequence of tricks into something magical, providing tempo, character and drama.  On the other hand, a badly chosen track may appear to have no connection with your actions and could well just end up annoying or losing your audience.  The usual mistake is to choose, by default, music that you're currently listening to in your personal life, quite regardless of whether it's remotely suitable for use in a routine.  As such, here's a few pointers that might help you choose something more appropriate:

• If possible, consider the tastes of your potential audience.  If you're not sure who will be watching, it's probably best to play safe and avoid profanities, politics or extremist religious content.
• As an accompaniment, instrumental music tends to work better than songs.
• The music should be enjoyable on first listen.  Choosing a 'grower' isn't a good plan.
• Current chart music can be contentious in the minds of many.  A current 'R&B' track may automatically annoy many 'metal' fans (and vice-versa), regardless of merit.
• Music with a clear structure is easier to synch with your routine.
• Music with contrasting sections (e.g. a slow bit, a 'breakdown' or dramatic change in instrumentation) can prove effective and dramatic.
• Avoid music with strange or changing time signatures, unless you really know what you're doing.
• Choose something that grabs the attention, makes people smile or generates some other form of positive reaction
• Don't just think about choosing music when you've got a routine to put together.  Make a habit of checking out interesting music as part of your everyday life.
• Check out some of the more esoteric racks in your local music shop. If you're not sure, some music shops will let you listen before you buy.
• Take note of the incidental music often used to accompany TV programs.
• Consider using your PC to alter or mix a track to your requirements, or perhaps even compose something from scratch.
• Don't forget that a soundtrack doesn't necessarily have to be music. Think about sound effects or the spoken word.

Once you've chosen your track, put time into analysing how it's made up.  Is there an introduction?  How many choruses are there?  Does it speed up?  How long is it?  On knowing this, you'll then be able to assign tricks and combos to relevant sections, hopefully with the intention of making the routine fit the track.  As I've found to my cost, trying to synch a yo-yo routine exactly to music is very hard, as knots, axle wraps and bad binds can ruin your plans in an instant.  Leave yourself plenty of room for error.

Patter

I've not got too much to say about this, but if you're not going to be using a music track for your routine (perhaps you're just doing an impromptu show?), you'll need to be thinking about accompanying it with some kind of dialogue or 'patter'.

The key to this is undoubtedly 'humour', but it's beyond the scope of this document (and, frankly, beyond my own abilities) to attempt a proper analysis of comedy technique.  What I would suggest, however, would be to prepare ideas and jokes in advance.  When you next learn a new trick or technique, maybe you should be asking yourself "How can I make this funny?" or "What does this string formation remind me of?".  You never know - you might surprise yourself.

Preparation

It should go without saying that before you attempt any kind of performance, you will have decided on the tricks that you'll be doing, making sure that you can actually remember how to do them all (it's easy to forget stuff you've not done in a while) and ensuring that you have the skill and consistency to actually carry them out (er, "do as I say, not as I do").  It also makes sense to ensure that you've got a good, if not exact, idea of the order that you'll be performing the tricks in, as this will ensure that your routine builds to an appropriate climax.  However, there's a lot more to the important matter of preparation that just this, thus:

• Make sure you have enough yo-yos available to get you through all eventualities.  Un-tying knots and wraps during a performance is lame.
• Get yourself a prop stand and/or a container to hold the yo-yos and auxillary props that you'll be needing for your show.  Make sure that you have fast access to whatever you need.  Also ensure that string loops can be left wide open without any chance of a tangle.
• Make sure that your yo-yos (yes, even the spares) are properly maintained and fitted out with string that's in a good condition.  Just before the event, ensure that strings are tightly wound and not over or under twisted.
• If you're using recorded music on someone else's sound system, ensure that you've checked out what audio formats are supported.  Be extra careful if you're using home-recorded media - if possible, make sure you arrive with at least one spare copy.
• If someone else is going to be acting as sound technician, do what you can to make life easy for them.  After all, they'll be a lot less likely to play the wrong music if there's only one track on the CD.  Whatever you do, don't present the technician with a commercial album, telling them that you want the 'secret bonus track' (no, Ant, I've not forgotten!).
• Trick sequencing can be your friend!  If you're going to be doing something that twists or distorts the string badly, leave it to the end of the routine.  Oh, and don't start the routine with something that's likely to be affected by initial nerves.
• If you're going to be performing on stage, make sure that you've figured out where the stage entrance is - getting lost backstage isn't going to impress anyone.  If you're using music, make sure that the sound technician knows when you want it started (When announced?  When you reach centre stage?  On a given signal?).
• If you're going to be subject to stage lighting, make sure that you're not going to be blinded by a 'follow spot'.
• If you'll be performing with someone else, double check that they've prepared their own equipment to the same high standards that you've adopted yourself. After all, you won't want to be waiting on stage whilst they sort out their string *cough*Aza*cough*.

Tricks

Traditionally, basic yo-yo tricks were given names that reflected their motion or appearance.  Thus, anyone performing 'Walk The Dog', 'Spaghetti', 'Eiffel Tower' or even 'Around The World' could be sure that their audience would understand what was being shown.  These days, modern yo-yoing technique has become increasingly abstract, with trick names, where they exist at all, bearing no relation to the look of the trick itself (OK, there are a few exceptions like 'pac-pac', but only a few).  The net result of this progress is that much of a modern yo-yo player's repertoire is likely to be incomprehensible to anyone not abreast of the current scene.  Thus, unless direct action is taken to prevent it, it'll be all too easy to alienate and bore your onlookers.  As such, I'd suggest the giving some thought to the following:

• Investigate how you can change the size, shape and position of each trick.  Try to contrast big looping motions with smaller, more technical, moves.
• When sequencing your tricks, make obvious switches between the front-style and side-style positions.  Experiment with different positional transitions.
• Move about the stage or performance area - don't just stand rooted to the spot
• Try to think of a distinct reason for including each trick.  Make sure that the audience stand a chance of understanding this reason, even if they don't understand exactly what's going on.  If there's a chance that an onlooker will be able to roughly describe the reason once you've shown the trick, then you're probably on the right lines (assuming every description isn't just "fast and confusing stuff"!)
• Try to find ways of incorporating your immediate environment, clothing or personal possessions into your tricks.
• Don't be afraid to use 'outdated' tricks in your routine - even if the audience have seen them before, it's quite possible that they'll enjoy having their own memories recalled.
• Make use of 'repeating' or 'self-reseting' tricks when you can - you'll give your audience a better chance of comprehending what you're doing.
• If you want to make a trick look fast, preceed it with something slow.

Style

Sometimes, when watching other players, you can immediately see that they present their tricks with a distinct sense of style. For some, this style is based around an obvious exaggeration of certain moves or actions. For others, though, the effect is rather more subtle in its make up, but still identifiable to those watching.

Whilst it may be the case that a particular individual's style has emerged unwittingly, it's seems rather more likely to be the result of hard work and an attention to detail.  As a rule, I'd suggest that the trick-learning process doesn't just end when you can finally nail the technical requirements reliably.  Instead, once this stage is achieved, you should be asking yourself how to make the self-same trick look better.  Thus, will the trick be improved if you sped it up?  Or slowed it down?  Would immediately repeating it look good? Can you use additional swing or carry movements to emphasis a particular part of the trick?  Would a change in facial expression work?  Or perhaps an unexpected movement of the feet or shoulders?  A worthwhile exercise might be to take a trick you can do well (say, a Trapeze) and investigate how many different ways you can perform it without changing the technical content.  An even better idea would be to try the same exercise with a group of players, letting the ideas bounce off each other.

Groups

Although it might not seem like it when watching the many on-line video clips, there's no rule to state that you have to perform on your own.  The possibilities presented when teaming up with other players - or even other performers from different disciplines altogether - would appear to be unlimited.  Here are a few ideas:

• Synchronised trick routines with any number of participants.  This probably works best with looping (AA) style tricks.
• Multi-person counterweight (5A), using a single counterweight yo-yo that's thrown passed between players.
• Multi-person offstring (4A), with each person keeping their own string, but sharing the yo-yo(s) between them.
• Working with a live musician, ideally one that can respond to your tricks in addition to providing cues for you to respond too.
• Yo-yo combined with acro-balance or other multi-person physical skills (needs expert training)

Interaction

It's rarely a bad idea to involve the audience in what you're doing, be it a juggling show, yo-yo routine or whatever. Interaction may involve getting an audience member to take part in an actual trick, but could also be as simple as asking a question or commenting on someone's appearance. The fact that you won't know in advance how people will react will, with experience, open the way for you to derive improvisation and comedy from on-the-spot situations. People really do seem to appreciate it when they suspect that you're doing something just for them, rather than just repeating a well-rehearsed routine.

If you're going to pick a volunteer to help you with a trick, the golden rule is to ensure that, once they've finished, they return to the crowd as a hero. Asking someone to do something that is clearly beyond them - then laughing at their failure - is cheap and will ultimately reflect badly on you. It'll also make it much harder for you to get another volunteer, should you so require it.

One final tip concerns 'applause points'. An applause point is any time in your routine where you want/expect your audience to clap, cheer or throw money (well, maybe). Whilst it's possible that an audience may react to your routine at any time, it's much more likely to happen if you deliberately send out signals indicating that this is what you're expecting. Unlike some other forms of juggling/manipulation, it's easy to insert applause points when using a yo-yo - each time it returns to your hand is an opportunity! What's more, the ability to pause, mid-combo, also gives you the possibility to signal for appreciation. If you don't ask, you might not get...