Learn new balloons with David Brenion

Internationally award-winning balloon artist David Brenion will be teaching a selection of sculptures from his best-selling “Nifty Balloons” DVD series!  David specializes in wearable art that leaves party guests’ hands free for playing, eating, high-fiving, and other party activities!  From big cartoon jet-packs for your back to adorable chubby animals sitting on your head, David’s sculptures make a big impact, and are an impressive addition to any twister’s repertoire!

David will be teaching two classes in the New York City area in early April.  While there will be some overlap between the design concepts, many of the sculptures will be different.  The April 3rd class is in New Jersey, and is free for clown alley members and $20 for guests.  The April 4th class in Manhattan is free with purchase of a DVD ($35).

To learn more about David and his groundbreaking work visit his website, NiftyBalloons.com, or stalk him on Facebook.

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Great news everyone-

Nancy Dalton, Top Twister

All of a sudden there is lots happening in our little balloon twisting world.  There are jams, classes, and more!

First, Nancy Dalton, who recently won the 2012 Top Twister award, will be in our neighborhood for two rare appearances!  Sheree Brown-Rosner is hosting Nancy on March 13th for a balloon jam in Baldwin, NY and Hank Degenring is hosting Nancy on March 19th in Red Bank, NJ .

• Join us March 13, 2012 from 5pm to 10pm at the Baldwin Coach Diner.  It’s a “Get Ready for St Patrick’s Day” jam and there will be lots of prizes and gifts.  So be sure to wear green.  Contact Sheree for more information and please RSVP on Facebook for the jam.

• Join us March 19, 2012 from tpm 5p 9pm at Dublin House Pub.  And please RSVP on that event’s Facebook page.

Todd's Kidabra Class on March 21, 2012

Then, I’m teaching a rare area class at this month’s Kidabra #10 chapter meeting on March 21st.  The class is on “Entertaining with Balloons” and I’ll be teaching balloon routines, effects, bits, psychology and more that I use at every gig.  You can get more information at the groups page: fb.com/kidabra10 or just email me.  It’s free to chapter members and only $20 to nonmembers.

Heading into April, there are two events on the horizon.  The first is a to-be-announced David & Shana Brenion class.  For the second year in a row they were the sell-out class at Twist & Shout, and I am excited to bring them in for their first area class.  David was a guest at a jam last year and held the room spellbound for over an hour . . . . and you’ve been asking him to come back ever since.

Finally, there is an awesome balloon decor seminar in Brooklyn in April 16-18.  Colin Stewart will be teaching a 3-day intensive seminar that goes from beginner to expert.  It is hosted by our friends at J & R Wholesale Balloon Distributors and you can learn more about it on jrballoon.com/classes.html

This year started off with a zillion of our friends invading Orlando for the awesome Florida SuperJam, and continues to get more exciting.  Coming up this Thursday, John Reid is teaching a beginner balloon twisting workshop in Long Island. Details are on the Tricky Business website.  In two weeks Larry Moss is teaching 4 excellent classes in Mystic, CT.  Larry is a special guest teacher at the Clown Jamboree later this month.  That is quickly followed by Twist & Shout, the premier balloon twisting convention, in Phoenix from Feb 1-5.

We’ll be back stronger than ever with regular balloon jams at the end of February. In the meantime, send new people to the monthly Free Balloon Class, and be sure to come to one of these big events.

If you are also a clown then you are probably already going to the Clown Jamboree.  If you are not a clown, Larry’s classes are the reason to check it out this year.  If you have not yet been to one of Larry’s classes then you should drop everything and be there.  Here is what he is teaching:

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Make me a bicycle, clown

Handling requests from an audience can be a challenge. Several intermediate to advanced sculptures will be taught, including a bicycle, that can be used in restaurant and festival situations. In addition, there will be discussion of how to satisfy unexpected requests.

Balloonicature: The many faces of balloon art

Caricature with balloons. This is all about making faces of friends, family, celebrities, or anyone else you happen to want to produce out of latex balloons.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Entertaining with balloons

Turn your balloon twisting into more than a product to be handed out. Learn to apply ballooning skills to stage and street performances. Includes story-telling and climbing inside balloons.

 Twisted Installations: Large scale display art

Looking to take your twisting skills in a new direction? Learn to make display pieces that no one thought were possible to create with balloons. By understanding a few techniques, anything can be created, no matter how outlandish it seems. Vases, clothing, furniture or anything else you can envision can be made. In this class, a number of methods are taught, and examples are given on how best to use each one. You will learn how to break down your subject into manageable chunks that can be tackled with basic and not-so-basic styles of balloon weaves and fabrics. Large non-round balloons, such as 646s and 350s can be used to create intricate sculpture pieces in relatively little time. Smaller balloons, like 160s and 260s can be used to add intricate details. You will understand how to make a wide range of things by the time you leave the room.

Ken teaching at Tricky Business

What

When

Where

FEE

Each class is $35.  Registration for both classes is $60.

Register

Class #1

But wait! There’s more!

Class #2

Thanks to everyone who came out to twist with David Brenion last month. It was a blast — he basically held court and showed us some super simple designs and some crazy innovative things that made the balloons scream out in pain. It was fun!

There’s a lot going on at Fantasma for the summer so we’re not having a balloon jam there until September. But don’t worry, we have the solution to your balloon twisting jones:

Ken Stillman is touring the country and will be in the area on September 2nd. The details are being hashed out right now, but it looks like he’ll teach two classes at Tricky Business in Long Island. That’s where we had one of Don Caldwell’s farewell classes, and it was a great space. One of the classes will be on decor (or big) items, and other on twisted pieces to make at gigs. I’ll keep you posted via email, FB, etc. when we know what’s happening. Some newer twisters might not know who Ken Stillman is — trust me, he’s a living legend. His list of innovations and accomplishments is staggering.

That’s it for now. Feel free to post your news and fun links on facebook.com/nytwisters so everyone can see them.

-Todd,
p.s. don’t leave your balloons outside this month. I have a bag of geos that are fused together. And they smell bad.

Confirmed!

David Brenion and Monkey

We are excited to announce that David & Shana Brenion will be joining us on July 6th for a balloon jam at Fantasma Magic in NYC.

When:

Wednesday, July 6, 2011 from 5:00pm to 9:00pm.

Location:

Cost:

FREE!  But please support Fantasma by buying a bag of balloons or one of their balloon DVDs.

Don Caldwell, aka, Buster Balloon, comes into New York every few months for some fabulous event, such as his own art gallery show, a super-fancy gig, or to consult with artists like Jeff Koons. This summer is the first time that he is coming to town just to teach and share his world-renowned balloon art with us.  This is actually a farewell tour, so this is your last chance to go to a Don Caldwell lecture.  Three workshops are schedule, one in Manhattan, one in Long Island, and one in New Jersey.  Here’s the schedule:
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Sorry, but you missed the class.