Shining a light on Rome’s street artists: The ‘invisible’ performers hiding in plain sight
Street artists and performers feature prominently in my novel The Starling Dance. As the evening sky over Rome turns pinky-purple, there’s something special about seeing musicians, mimes, jugglers and acrobats transform the ancient piazzas into their stage to delight passing tourists.
Today’s street artists are not a modern phenomenon. They were a familiar sight in the thriving multicultural metropolis of Ancient Rome, flocking to bustling market squares or busy roads, hoping to be compensated for their entertainment. Some were migrants from faraway lands, others were freed slaves, and some were simply dreamers hoping to make it big by being ‘scouted’ by a member of Roman high society. Then, as today, it was unstable work, dependent on the generosity of passersby.
I first noticed the street artists while working in Rome as a journalist. My walk to the office took me past the Colosseum and the ancient Fori Imperiali and, on the way, I passed many street performers. That ‘commute’ is something I often dream about now when I’m crammed into the tube at rush hour!
I’m someone who just can’t sit still, so I was particularly intrigued by the ‘human statues’, who, wearing creative disguises, hold poses for hours on end. There were ‘floating’ genies, cupids, and men with hats, sunglasses but no heads, among many others. I wondered what they thought about while they worked.
Some mornings, I would catch a glimpse of their real faces as they changed into their costumes. I speculated about their lives and what led them to perform.
By that time, I had developed an initial idea for The Starling Dance – a lonely woman in a foreign country spying on her neighbours – but I needed a love interest to, potentially, turn this character’s fortunes around. I started to imagine chapters filled with colourful street artists to add a magical touch. Perhaps the love interest could be a charming street performer, I thought.
Like most people who pass by, I didn’t know anything about street artistry, so, before creating a character, I wanted to find out more. I visited the ancient squares and spoke to some of the performers who worked there. At the time, I was thinking that The Starling Dance might be a film so I asked if I could film them, with the idea of compiling an atmospheric montage of their work.
First, I met a jazz band from Eastern Europe who had been performing in Piazza Navona for years. They could find alternative work, they told me, but they loved music and the freedom performing gave them. They explained about the difficulties they faced with stricter controls on performers and ever-increasing competition.
I also spoke to a charismatic Charlie Chaplin impersonator. He’d moved from Venice to Rome following restrictions on street artists there. I planned to film his performances but one day he disappeared from the square and I never found him again.
Then, there was the cowboy who stayed impossibly still in his costume – moving only occasionally and deliberately to impress passersby. He told me about his wife and child back home in Southern Asia, where he sent the money he made. In his spare time, some of the other artists were teaching him to paint with aerosols and stencils – apparently more lucrative than performing. One day, after I’d filmed his work on several occasions, he invited me for coffee and proudly showed me photos of his family. He insisted on paying for my drink – a gesture I will always remember!
Following my research, I decided to make a street artist a key character in the book – I won’t say too much for fear of spoilers, but I knew I wanted to portray him as a talented person with an interesting and credible backstory.
Including this character allowed me to introduce a vibrant cast of street performers – from the veteran clown who has been performing for decades in Rome’s old town, to the bubble blowers, impersonators and daring flame throwers. The artists in Rome add a touch of sparkle to the ancient city and I hope that I’ve managed to bring that to life in The Starling Dance.
Here’s the blurb
In a sweltering Roman summer, Laure is trying to start a new life. But can she manage in a city where walls have ears, trees have eyes and even the birds are acting strangely?
It’s been exactly one year since the shit hit the fan and Laure’s anxiety exploded into a full-blown burn out. In search of a new start she’s moved to Rome – pasta, Aperol and sunshine should make everything better, right?
But with her 30s around the corner, la bella vita isn’t going to plan.
- Her boyfriend, the dreamy Davide, has disappeared (Either Laure’s been ghosted or he’s accidentally fallen off a cliff – hopefully)
- She wants to murder her neighbours: their arguments are keeping her up all night.
In her local café, Laure meets a handsome stranger and the sparks fly, that is until she finds herself caught in a big lie.
‘Hmmm, it’s not ideal,’ says her best friend Eva, as she puffs on a spliff in the bathtub.
Just as things are heating up, a talking tree enters the fray (as if this Roman summer wasn’t weird enough, just ask the birds).
That tree is Viviano, a dynamic and adventurous street performer who poses around the Eternal City dressed as a tree, well, sometimes a cat too and sometimes a ripe tomato. He could be thriving in life but something is holding him back. One thing is certain though: he wants to meet Laure.
Will Laure find her path? Will she accidentally put pineapple on a pizza? And is there a real love story to be found in the surreal swirls of the Italian capital?
The Starling Dance is a love story full of quirk, humour and heart-warming characters, each trying to overcome their personal obstacles and demons to give themselves a chance at life and love.
Lucy Elena is a journalist who has worked across Europe and Latin America. The Starling Dance is her debut novel. It was initially dreamt up as a film while Lucy was working in Rome and became interested in the street artists she passed every day on her way to work, eventually getting to know them. The artsy film of her imagination never materialised but The Starling Dance was born in the form of a book, with a big dose of love, fun and healing thrown in for good measure.
Purchase Links
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Starling-Dance-riotous-heartwarming-romance-ebook/dp/B0FL12DQ34
https://www.amazon.com/Starling-Dance-riotous-heartwarming-romance-ebook/dp/B0FL12DQ34
Meet the author
Lucy Elena is a Londoner with a love of languages and exploring new different cultures. For most of her career she has been a journalist reporting across Europe and Latin America. But she has also experimented with career forays into pasta making (yes, like an Italian nonna) and teaching. Lucy has always loved dreaming up and telling stories and The Starling Dance is her debut novel. When not writing or working, Lucy enjoys spending time with friends and family, trying out new foods and pretending she can play the ukulele.
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