Twist & Shout Master Class Series $99
classes to be determined
Twist & Shout Class Line-up
David Kaye
David Kaye has performed magic and comedy for children for more than twenty years. Known to the lay public as Silly Billy, he is one of the best known children’s entertainers in the United States, performing for the families of celebrities like Madonna and Bruce Springsteen, with appearances at the White House and Lincoln Center.
David is also well known within the magic community as a leader in the children’s magic world. For eight years David wrote a monthly column about performing magic for children in MAGIC magazine; he is the only children's magician to have appeared on the covers of MAGIC, Genii, and M.U.M; and he was featured on the magic TV show Celebracadabra. He is currently a regular columnist for the DVD magic magazine Reel Magic and is a frequent contributor to the podcast The Magic Newswire.
He may be best known for his groundbreaking book, Seriously Silly - How to Perform Magic and Comedy for Children, considered by many to be the best book on children’s magic.
The Comedy Pyramid
In this fascinating lecture you will learn how to make children laugh and how to be a funnier performer. Originally designed for clown conventions, the information is universal and applies to magicians, ventriloquists, jugglers, and anyone who wants to make kids laugh.
The Comedy Pyramid, created by David Kaye, is similar to the food pyramid, in that some of the categories are more important than the others and the pyramid format makes it easier to understand. Six categories of techniques and focus are taught.
The lecture is interesting as well as funny. As is true of all his lectures, this is not a dealer demo. Only standard magic shop items are used in the demonstrations.
Power Marketing For Entertainers
Designed for any performer (magician, clown, balloonist, juggler, etc.) working in a local area, this lecture teaches you how to analyze every aspect of your business to become the busiest performer in your area. Includes dozens of marketing ideas divided into three sections: Marketing Before the Show, Marketing During the Show, and Marketing After the Show. Learn what helped Silly Billy become the top kid show performer in New York City.
Becoming an Expert Magician for Children
Wednesday Feb 1, 2 pm - 6 pm (one class only)
Performing as Silly Billy, David Kaye is one of the best known children’s magicians in the country. He has appeared on the magic Vh-1 TV show Celebracadabra, the David Letterman Show, and Comedy Central. He is the only children’s magician ever to appear on the covers of MAGIC, Genii, M.U.M. and Funny Paper. He wrote a monthly column in Magic magazine for eight years, and he currently appears in Reel Magic and on the Magic Newswire podcast. His groundbreaking book Seriously Silly is considered to be the bible of children’s magic.
The class lessons will draw from the following subjects, based on skill level of the students. You will learn:
The six most important principles to incorporate into a magic routine.
How to create a routine for any trick you ever buy in only five minutes. The class will create a brand new routine using these principles.
How to perform for different aged children.
How to solve any problem you encounter at a show.
The US debut of David’s Jack In The Box Theory.
The US debut of David’s Kid Show Triangle Theory.
Bring a video/dvd of a routine you are working on and if there is time David will critique it and guide you to improve it.
Every participant receives a package of Silly Billy goodies worth $35. A great Pack-Kid trick for kids, a signed poster, and an Inflatable Wands sample pack. Plus more educational materials.
Buster Balloon
Hailed by fans and colleagues alike as one of the most innovative minds in the balloon industry today, Buster Balloon (aka Don Caldwell) has spent the last 10 years traveling the world teaching his unique concepts and creations at nearly every major conference and event the industry has to offer. TJam, Twist & Shout, The Millennium Jam, JBAN, BACI, Balloon Manor, and countless independent workshops around the globe.
Buster has also created many best selling instructional DVDs, and his work has been published in Magic Magazine, Balloon Magic Magazine, Funny Paper, and Images Magazine. He has received both The Ralph Dewey Balloon Excellence Award and The David Grist Memorial Life Time Achievement Award among many others, but his proudest moment is still the time that he ate an entire box of Cap' N Crunch Cereal in one sitting.
"Between his fans and those who just blatantly rip off his material Buster Balloon may be the single most influential balloon artist in the world today."
-ToddNeufeld, The Twisted Balloon Company
Inflatable Oddities:
Explore new worlds of possibility as you discover the joys of twisting with 321's and 6" hearts, as well as other commonly neglected and misunderstood balloon species.. This is without a doubt some of Buster's most unique, creative, and innovative work to date including many creations that he has never shared with the balloon community before.
Buster Balloon’s Encyclopedia of Balloon Gags:
The culmination of Buster's years of creating & collecting balloon sight gags, tricks, and funny bits of business all crammed into one fun filled class. No matter if you are twisting table side at a restaurant, working a line, or up on stage, these fun bits of business are guaranteed to amaze and amuse your audiences.
Master Class (extra fee required)
The One: Buster Balloon's Image & Branding Master Class
Wednesday Feb 1, 8:30 am - 12:30 pm (one class only)
When it comes to your clients, you do not want to be an option. You want to be the only option. Buster Balloon's brand is one of the most powerful in the balloon world and that brand has led to his working with other powerful brands like J. Crew, Cynthia Rowley, John Varvatos, and Jeff Koons. In this class Buster will share the secrets of how he has created a brand that has enabled him to work with high profile clients around the country and around the world, and how you can implement those concepts in your own business and marketing.
Willy Monroe
The Skeleton's Skull:
Willy Monroe has created the most realistic Skull ever seen with balloons.
How build the Skull and the studio of the skeleton parts.
Cocktail of Magic, Toys & Puzzles :
Curiosities and more strange things with balloons.
WILLY MONROE MASTER CLASS: (extra fee required)
Stage performance with balloons
Wednesday Feb 1, 8:30 am - 12:30 pm and 2 pm - 6 pm
The 3 time stage competition T&S winner, Willy Monroe, will show you hes vison of how to use balloons in a stage show. How to create a routine…. why, where and when to use the balloons in an act: Examples, theory and exercises…. Don't miss it ¡!! This is a really unique opportunity to improve your show.
Twistina
presented by Pioneer Balloon Company
Twistina from the United Kingdom, has been balloon modelling since 2004. Her background has always been artistic and she ran her own cake decorating business for almost 20 years. Balloon sculpture became her sole focus in 2005 and she started designing her own original balloon art. In 2006, Twistina attended her first balloon convention, Millenniumjam, where she was proud to win 3rd place in the multi balloon sculpture competition. Since then, Twistina has gone on to win other awards including first place at Millenniumjam multi balloon sculpture competition 2010. She has written her own series of balloon twisting Instructional e-books called “Twistina’s Five Minute Balloon Delights” as well as one on her method of making fantasy flowers called “Ballooms – Balloons That Bloom!”
Balloon Twisting Is No Longer Just For Kids! - A Miscellany of Marvellous Models for the More Mature
Twistina has had a huge increase in requests for balloon twisting at adult only occasions such as dinner parties, corporate events, work socials and celebrations of every kind. Here, she presents a selection of stylish creations that delight the most sophisticated of adults and opens up a whole new market if you have until now, limited your twisting to children’s festivities.
FAN-cy Up!
Twistina shares a simple but infinitely useful twisting construction she calls the “fan”, along with some FAN-tastic creations that can be made with it. She will demonstrate such diverse models as an adorable emperor penguin chick, an enchanting quick princess, FAN-cy flowers and leaves, and much more besides.
Patricia Bunnell
Presented by Betallic Balloons
Beauties
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. "Make" a picture perfect bride, princess or "balloon portrait" using a variety of balloons for showers, birthdays, weddings, quinceaneras, sweet 16's, graduations, anniversaries, valentines, holidays and much much more! In this class you will learn to make some of the most popular "princesses" that girls of all ages adore as well as brides and balloon "portraits" of whom the piece is being made for! These "Beauties" can be used as deliverables, decor, or showoff pieces to set you apart from other twisters in your market.
Balloon Beastro
Take your skills to a whole new level with these amazing animals! These new little darlings are unique, adorable and fast enough for line and restaurant work. The crowd goes NUTS over these one of a kind cuties. Patricia will show you the base design and teach you how a simple change can turn a monkey into a frog, horse, giraffe...etc. People will want to wait in your line for one of these!
Melissa Vinson
Melissa Vinson, CBA (the artist formerly known as Gjergji) has brightened the world with her classic, yet innovative balloon designs for 12 years. She originally came on the scene as a “stacker” but has quickly climbed the ranks in the “twisted world.” This year will mark her third appearance as an instructor at Twist & Shout. Most recently she placed in three categories of competition at Twist & Shout 2011 (Small, Medium and Uninflated Sculptures).
In addition to her cherished T&S awards, she was named Designer of the Year twice in 2008, and her work has been featured in Images Magazine, on Betallic.com and BalloonHQ.com. She has had the privilege of teaching across the United States, as well as overseas. Her DVDs (produced by AeraDeco Video) continue to be popular worldwide.
Melissa has been an integral part of many domestic and international projects. Some of her experience includes the AEMI Balloon Fashion Show in Shanghai (2008, 2009) and Wuhan, China (2011); Purim Festival and Parade in Holon, Israel (2009); Final Night Gala Lead Designer for FLOAT the Convention (2010) and Summer Balloon Camp (2009); BalloonTown USA (2007).
Melissa is passionate about educating people about the world of possibilities that only balloons can give. “I never could imagine that a little piece of latex could take me around the world…”
How to Win a Lot of Stuff...from Competitions to Clients
Melissa Vinson, CBA is a multi-award winning balloon artist who has placed in every competition that she has entered, in twisting AND decor. So, the people have asked..."How does she do it? How can I do it, too??" Well, come to this class and you will find out! You'll discover what it takes to push yourself to new creative horizons and rack up some plaques of your own. Not only will you learn what makes a winning competition piece, you will also learn how to translate those same principles into big $$ by winning over your existing clients, and new clients, with your awesome new skills. From competitions to clients, this class is packed with tips and tricks that will definitely make you a winner!
Framed! (offered only one time)
Ever wonder how to keep your twisted pieces from falling over, what makes balloon arches and columns stand, or how in the world to make a base plate? Then don't miss this class! All the framing secrets you've been itching to know will be revealed in this informative and fun class. Melissa Vinson, CBA is in her 12th year of creating balloon frames and she wants to give you the confidence to create your very own, fast and easy frames! Bring your questions, cameras, note taking materials and an open mind. Whether you want to delve into the world of decor or just make your fabulous twisted creations stand tall, this is the class for you.
UNframed! (offered only one time)
Who out there really wants to make some extra cash? No, really…who really REALLY wants to increase the bottom line of their existing gigs?? Then come on down to UNframed! Melissa Vinson, CBA will show you FAST and EASY add-ons that will make you smile all the way to the bank. You’ve already got the twisting gig…now UPSELL to your client with these frameless décor recipes that are sure to please. Space filling, low cost, long lasting and completely disposable - they’re so super simple that you’ll think, “Why have I not been doing this all along?” Come see how much revenue you are currently missing out on and be ready to get hands-on in this fast and fun class.
Ken Stillman
From Hitch Hikers to Super Heroes, from Speed Twisting to Balloon Beads,
These are just a few of the concepts that Ken Stillman is responsible for.
So what in the world is he up to now!
Don't miss this rare opportunity to see Ken Stillman at Twist and Shout 2012!
You will not want to miss his classes.
Although Ken has been all over the USA this last year teaching some of his newest concepts, balloon beads and his life size human head distortion, he has saved his best for Twist and Shout.
Take a look at these classes.
Bubble Buddies
Bubble Buddies are a combination of different concepts put together to make an awesome
balloon sculpture. Ken will be revealing his latest concept which is a small balloon distorted head that is very easy to make. This new head design combined with a new body design will create a Bubble Buddy. Bubble Buddies can be cute or funny, they can be human or animal. The body design is not limited to the distorted head design. You can combine any head design that you are currently using to this body and you will get awesome results.
These impressive designs are not for line twisting, but they are attention grabbers that can lead you to more work. They are the perfect delivery and can be offered as an add on to up your prices.
Are Those Balloons Dancing?
Well It has been a long time since Ken taught his first animation class at T Jam.
Those were the days.
The laughter from the class could be heard throughout the convention as he revealed what made the balloons dance. It looked like a miniature seen from the Godfather as he pulled Barbie's headless horse out of the bag and showed that it was the four legs making the balloons dance.
Ken will combine his past and current knowledge of animation to make this class an experience that you will never forget!
David Brenion
David has been a professional entertainer and balloon artist since 1998. Together with his wife Shana they own and operate "Nifty Balloons", an event entertainment company in Ventura, California. David has had the great fortune to teach his unique style of balloon art Twist & Shout 2011, as well as a lecture tour in Europe and several lectures in his home state of California. He was the recipient of the Ralph Dewey Rising Star Award (2010) and has won multiple international awards for his sculptures… most recently winning at the Qualatex Balloon Art Convention in Tokyo with the “Santa” variation of his mask design!
Masks:
Taking the mask concept to the next level, David shares his base structure and many variations to make adorable characters that kids and adults will love! David has spent the last year hiding in his balloon cave working on these designs, and now he's ready to share them with the world!
More Rounds & Hearts:
David's Rounds & Hearts lecture was so popular last year that he dove deeper into the subject and came up with a slew of new designs. Many thanks go out to the wonderful folks who hung out in the jam room after class and started creating new figures on the spot. It was a huge inspiration for this new set of adorable characters.
ALSO, bring your pens and your creativity! The beautiful and talented Shana Brenion will be joining David in this class to teach some fancy artwork to make these cute little creatures really come alive.
Guido Verhoef
Born in the Netherlands, attended the European School for Performing Arts and Bont’s International Clown school , started his own entertainment company in 1995.
His company Manifold designs exclusive acts and creative balloon designs for large company-events and shows and arranged over 4000 performances and decorations in the last decade.
Since 2001 Guido is active as chairman of the Dutch Art Union for Performing Arts. The same year he won the title European Balloon entertainer of the Year.
Guido organized the first international Balloon fashion show of Europe (Belgium 2006), Asia (China, 2007) and the USA (Las Vegas 2008) and produced the world’s first Balloon Theatre show (Shanghai 2009) mixing various art forms like bodypaint, modern dance and break-dance with balloon fashion and performance.
Guido has 6 instructional DVD’s with Link-O-Loons and 3 DVD’s with Geo blossoms, Hearts and beebodies as well as the winning short balloon movie “Dog Tired” (Twisted Film Fest TnS 2006).
In Cincinatti, USA 2009 he was recognized for his work within the balloon industry with the international Don Cheeseman Memorial life time achievement award.
His 20 years of experience as a performer and creative director in the theatre and event circuit he uses to create visual stage shows and large sculpture projects all over the world and teach master classes in acting and balloon designing. His goal in life is to share happiness and inspire others to use their creativity. www.theARTofBalloons.com
Miniature Art Sculptures
What do you create for high end parties and adults without ending up creating sculptures with a cartoonish look? How do increase your Art value as a balloon artist? These two questions puzzled Guido as a twister for many years. Experimenting with distortion techniques and cooperation with sculpture artists Guido discovered how to create real miniature Art sculptures that can be created between 5-10 minutes each and blow away the audience. Using a special technique the sculptures look like real marble and basalt sculptures. This knowledge will be shared for the first time in a classroom and is for every balloon artist who wants to grow as an artist and extend their field of expertise. “this discovery changed and upgraded my work as a twister”
BONUS SUNDAY CLASS: Clowning and comedy acting
In this intensive 3 hour during workshop the principles of comedy will help you to find the clown that lives within every human while the laws of theatre will guide you how to communicate with your audience. Stage presence, Being in the moment, the power of improv, Not trying to be funny but being real, every mistake is a gift; principles from the European school that will help clowns, actors and balloon performers to connect with their audience on a deeper level.
It’s great if they remember the balloon you made, it’s perfect when they remember you as well.
Ed Chee
Ed Chee has received international recognition for his balloon sculpting talent. He has been featured in print media, has appeared on television, and is widely acknowledged as one of the top balloon artists in the world.
In recent years, Ed has traveled around the world entertaining and teaching balloon twisting skills. His unique, highly-detailed style has raised the bar for twisting as an art form. He hosts an annual convention dedicated to showcasing and expanding the horizon on what is possible with twisted balloons. He also produces instructional DVD's for balloon professionals and hobbyists alike to learn and improve their skills.
His balloon career started while on a business trip, looking for something to bring home for his kids. He saw a book on balloon twisting on sale in a book store and decided it would be a nice surprise. He bought the book and some bags of balloons, then spend a few weeks in the hotel room learning the basics. This was the first step on a journey that later lead to competitions where he consistently finished near the top and garnered praise for his style of twisting.
Advanced Weaving Techniques
This course will cover a wide variety of weaves in four categories:
- Single-Point Weaves
- Running Weaves
- Single-Layer Weaves
- Multi-Layer Weaves
The first part of the course will cover the various weaving techniques with some hands-on demonstrations.
The second part of the course will be a discussion on how to apply weaves to creating balloon fashion dresses. You will learn tips and tricks on how to create stunning outfits using weaving techniques.