Performer Spotlight: Alakazam

Ida Rosenstein

Photo by Eltavious Johnson

Whether he’s juggling chainsaws or fitting his entire body through a tennis racket, Al Millar, otherwise known as ALAKAZAM or The Human Knot, always leaves an impression when he performs. He specializes in daring circus stunts, an interest that goes all the way back to when he was just fourteen years old. His cousin taught him how to juggle and the fascination only grew from there, he was “obsessed (with circus) as some kids would be with video games,” Al recalls. After working behind the scenes at Australia’s Stardust Circus for a few years, Al began his street performance career in 1996 at eighteen years old, turning the streets of Sydney into his own stage.

Photo by Eltavious Johnson

Comedy is an integral aspect of Al’s act. His incredible stunts are enhanced by wisecracking and interactions with the audience. Al explains that his show evolved naturally to include comedy. He was having fun joking around and improvising while performing, and eventually, the improvisation was refined into written material. But he still can keep things pretty spontaneous during performances: “Street performances have to have the right structure in order to hold an audience. I’ve learned that as long as I follow the structure, I can add whatever performance elements I like.” For Al, much of his process is based on audience feedback.

“Practicing the skills comes first, then you have to write a routine around the skill,” Al states. After that, he continuously performs the routine and refines it based on audience reactions. One of the most challenging parts of street performance is that there is “no set audience,” this unpredictability means that a crowd’s attention can be fleeting and incredibly dependent on factors the performer has no control over (the next most challenging part for Al was learning how to juggle two running chainsaws and an apple). So, one of the most valuable skills Al had to learn was the ability to command attention: “Physical skills aside, holding the crowd is the most important skill, and you can’t learn without actually doing it.” One of the ways Al is able to grab attention is by “turn(ing) passers-by into audience members,” he states. At Berkshire Busk, he would crack jokes to the people walking by during his routine, nudging them to join the crowd and be “in on the joke” with the rest of the audience.

Busking is unlike other forms of live performance as it breaks down the barrier between performer and audience. In a way, it’s a collaborative effort. A performing artist can learn from their audience, not just from sheer physical ability alone. Direct engagement with a crowd is honest and all-the-more rewarding for it. Al writes to me that he “love(s) the authenticity of street performing, it tells you the brutal truth about your performance and teaches you how to improve.”