Category Archives: Event Entertainers

Keeping it unique on your Wedding day

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They say your wedding day is the most important day of your life. For many brides this is most definitely the case, but the reasons for this may go beyond professing their love for their partner and agreeing to spend the rest of their lives with them.

Brides are a competitive group of people. Many Brides have been planning their wedding day since they were a little girl, long before they find their “Mr Right”. Each bride hopes their day will be better than any other wedding they have been to. They hope it is unique and memorable, and will dream for years in advance about it.
And yet, despite all of this, most wedding days follow the same pattern and structure:

Ceremony > Photographs > Arrivals > Meal > Cutting of Cake > Speeches > Evening Entertainment

For your wedding guests the time gaps between the Ceremony and Meal, and the Meal and Evening Entertainment involves a lot of waiting around. Most Brides who plan wedding entertainment, will not go far beyond the traditional Wedding Band or DJ. This generic wedding structure rarely changes much from wedding to wedding, and guests who have attended many previous weddings can now do it in their sleep!
But if you are to have a truly unique, memorable and wonderful wedding day (That stands out from the rest of your friends), you must look beyond this traditional robotic sequence of events. How about spicing things up a little and taking your experienced guests out of their comfort zones? Need to fill the long, boring gaps in the day? There are lots of wedding entertainment ideas which you probably haven’t considered. The quick guide below gives you some ideas of how to avoid the long gaps and gain the competitive edge!
Cocktail Artist – how about hiring a cocktail artist to make your drinks reception unique? A cocktail artist will be able to create exciting drinks for you and your guests to enjoy and will provide an added touch of glamour to your big day. The artist will be able to interact with your guests and put on a show while mixing the cocktails themed with your wedding

Magician- what about having a magician at your wedding to wow and entertain your guests? The magician could mingle with your guests and keep the kids entertained. They may even be a good idea for an ice-breaker for your speeches.

Balloon artist – maybe thank about having a balloon artist? You may not have considered this as an option but balloon artists can be very creative and entertaining. The artist could be particularly useful for keeping the kids amused.

Caricature artist- have you considered a caricature artist? They could create an image in under five minutes which will provide a comical souvenir for your guests. You and your new husband could even have an image done for a more light-hearted representation of you on your big day.

Comedian- I know what you’re thinking, a comedian for my wedding, are you serious? But it may not be as crazy as you think. As long as you get the right one and explain that their act must be tasteful, then a comedian could be a great asset to your wedding reception. They could be used to keep guests entertained before their meal or even as an ice-breaker prior to the speeches.

Mini Crazy Golf Course- how about a mini golf course as something different for entertaining your guests? This would be of obvious interest to your younger guests. But the young at heart will also enjoy it, especially after a glass of champagne or two.

Starlight LED Dance floor – how about going beyond the simple, traditional dance floor? A starlight dance floor will make your first dance even more special as well as providing your guests with a great place to enjoy the music.

Photo booth – should you use a photo booth to capture some memories of your guests at your wedding? Whilst you are having your professional photographs taken your guests will be kept entertained by posing for their own photos. These however, will be much more light-hearted and will provide you with some fun memories.

Bouncy Castle – how about hiring a bouncy castle to keep the kids entertained? It can be very difficult to keep the kids entertained at a wedding but a bouncy castle may be a good way to do this. Some bigger kids may even want to join in the fun!

Wedding Fun Casino – how about hiring a casino to add some fun to your wedding as well as a touch of class? The fun casino could be a great ice-breaker for your guests, and create a unique wedding experience. Guests will compete to see who can gain the most chips, with the winner receiving a prize at the end!

Wedding Hypnotist- for something really different at your wedding, why not hire a comedy hypnotist? This could be perfect for the after-dinner segment of your evening and is sure to get your guests laughing as well as creating good interaction.

Wedding Music Ideas

Now that you have got some different wedding entertainment Ideas, you may need some wedding music ideas. You will probably be planning to hire the traditional wedding band for the evening reception, but there are many other options that will enhance your big day.

Maybe you would like some sophisticated music in the background of your Drinks Reception or a Bag Piper to add a traditional touch to your wedding. Let’s take a look at some of the Wedding Music options you may not have considered:
String Quartet- how about hiring a string quartet? A string quartet could be an excellent accompaniment to the religious service, where music can play an essential role. The quartet could also be used for the evening reception, playing background music for the drinks reception, the meal and at any other times where you feel a gap may need to be filled
Jazz / Swing music – a jazz music act could be used during your wedding to maintain a relaxed environment at any stage of the reception. Jazz acts range is sizes but a jazz trio could be perfect for your wedding day.
Wedding DJ – many weddings now include a DJ after the band. As a result many of the better bands are now offering a Band and DJ package. This will ensure the DJ will already have a feel for the audience as well as being able to use the same sound equipment to avoid any delays or gaps
Bag Piper – looking to add a traditional feel to your big day? How about hiring a traditional Scottish bag piper. The bag piper could be used before, during and after the ceremony as well as for entertaining your guests while the photographs are being taken. They can also welcome guests to the wedding reception and to introduce the bride and groom to the reception.

Solo musician- a solo musician could be a great idea, particularly if you are having an intimate wedding. A harpist or a pianist, for example, could be used to create an ambient atmosphere on your big day.
Professional gospel choir – a gospel choir could be perfect for your big day, particularly if you are having a church wedding. Your choir will provide a beautiful sound for your wedding and could perform at any stage of the service.

So there you have it. Your guide to different entertainment ideas worth considering for your wedding day. Every bride wants their day to be the most special wedding they or any of their guests will ever see.

So make sure you do everything to make sure your guests are happy and provide them with entertainment they will love.

Male Solo Singers

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You may want a Male Solo singer to perform at your Wedding, Corporate Event, Launch Party or Private Party. You cannot fail to agree that Male singers sound amazing. The singers available to hire here at Red Masque cover all tastes in music so you’re sure to find a performer to suit everyone.

It may be a classical male solo artist you are after, a contemporary singer or a big ballade singer. Male singers are ideal for corporate events, Weddings, Private Parties or even Launch Events and we feature only the very best here at Red Masque.

Our entertainment directory has the finest Male Solo acts available in the UK. Many people fine reading the reviews helpful when selecting their chosen singer. Simply view the profile pages for all details, contact info and reviews. We believe this will help you find your perfect party entertainment.

To book Male Solo singer just click on to your preferred choice. You are able to fill in an online booking form there and then or you can contact your performer via the details provided. Your enquiry will go straight to your chosen act and they will be in contact with you soon after to discuss your requirements.

Podium Dancers

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Here at Red Masque entertainment agency you will be able to hire Professional Podium and Club Dancers for your special occasion. Book female and male podium dancers for your party from the best selection of club dancers in the country today. The podium dancers provide a fantastic show! They can be hired to perform a complete show including demonstrations, or as nightclub dancers to dance throughout the night, entertaining clubbers until the early hours of the morning!  It will be hard to get your guests to leave!!

Imagine you need that extra ‘wow’ factor for your Launch party event. Booking a Podium Dancer for an event is just a click away. You can book podium dancers for private parties, corporate events, nightclubs or promotional events. Add that something extra special to make your party one to remember.

Booking is easy you can look on the list of acts that interest you and will be able to book podium dancers using our online booking form, or if you prefer you can contact our friendly staff and they can guide you as to which act maybe suitable for your function, or you can contact your entertainer directly from the details provided in their listing. So to find podium dancers to hire look no further as we have the best in the UK, here at Red Masque.

Click here to book – Podium Dancers for hire in the UK.

Dance Comedy Acts

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You may want to entertain your guests in an unusual way, by booking dance comedy.  How about the classic ‘Swan Lake’ performed by comedy actors, or a ‘River Dance’ comedy sketch to remember. Here at Red Masque entertainment directory we have the ultimate in dance comedy acts which will guarantee a side splitting experience every time.

These acts could be for a private party, corporate event, wedding or a surprise birthday present. Your guests will love this amazingly funny entertainment that will amuse your party no end.

We have the ultimate party package at Red Masque and if you would like to hire a dance comedy act and need a little help then give contact us and our friendly team will help you through the booking process. It’s very easy to book, you will be able to find a list of acts that interest you, then fill out their booking enquiry form. Finding a dance comedy act in the UK is very straight forward and you can contact or book your chosen act directly, making it easier to get exactly what you want at a price that’s right for you. You’ll find only the very best in entertainment here at Red Masque.

History of the Caricaturists

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When it comes to booking entertainment for events, one of our most popular strolling acts is undoubtedly a caricaturist. Blessed with the skill of being able to draw both accurately and quickly, with a nice comedic slant, caricaturists often manage to draw ten to twelve people in just one hour at an event! Not bad at all! But where does the art of caricature come from? Who invented it? Let’s find out…

It’s hard to know exactly when caricature started but we do know that there are examples of the form in graffiti that can be found at Pompeii. This would confirm that the style of drawing has been popular for almost 2,000 years but it’s highly likely that it has been popular for even longer than that.

In more recent times, the form was highly enjoyed by the aristocratic circles in France and Italy, with portraits passed about friends for mutual enjoyment. Leonardo Da Vinci’s caricatures are some of the oldest on record; he would seek people with deformities to use as models, hoping to offer an impression of the original that was more striking than a portrait.

The first book of caricature can be dated to 1762 when Mary Darlas published A Book of Caricaturas. The first North American caricatures can be traced to just three years before that when Brigadier-General George Townshend would draw caricatures of other high ranking officials like British General James Wolfe during the Battle of Quebec. These drawings were often highly exaggerated to elicit laughter and amusement from his fellow officers.

Thomas Rowlandson and James Gillray are perhaps the two most important British caricaturists in history; they were great friends and often visited pubs together in London. Rowlandson preferred to focus his efforts on artistry and drawing members of the public, whilst Gillray aimed his pen squarely at politics, satirising his subjects to great effect.

Rowlandson and Gillray’s differing approaches to caricature are still evident today with a drawing able to gently mock a subject for humorous effect or wound them with a serious social or political point. We would rather advise booking a caricaturist at an event to dish out the former rather than the latter for the good of the party atmosphere!

To Tap Dance

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Traditional American Tap Dancers

Everyone loves a good tapper; somehow, tap dancing is enjoyable because it is lighthearted alongside the music to which it is performed. From community productions to the big screen, tap dance has captured the hearts of millions of Americans, and this is most evident in the fan base supporting the careers of several influential tappers.

Most are men, with a few exceptions. America’s tapping stars in the golden era of Hollywood enjoyed lengthy careers and continue to be noted today for the fun entertainment they provided. Below are just a few of those who truly reigned as “tap’s tops!”

Fred Astaire
Perhaps there is no other name as synonymous with tap dancing as Fred Astaire. With his countless American films, including those with sidekick Ginger Rogers, Fred revolutionized the tap world’s presence in movies. Many people recall his partnership with Ginger Rogers not only for the beautiful ballroom dances, but also for the tap dances, such as Let Yourself Go. His killer combination of a handsome face and a suave style, paired with his peppy dance numbers made him one of Hollywood’s most cherished musical stars.

Bill “Bojangles” Robinson
Before he hung out with Shirley Temple both onscreen and off, Bill Robinson could be found in numerous theater productions. He is known for re-igniting the tap craze during the 20th century, and bringing the genre from popular to the elite art level. He often challenged competitors in tap competitions, almost always coming out as the victor. He was also the choreographer of the now infamous stair dance found in the movie The Little Colonel. He inspired and coached Shirley Temple, one of Hollywood’s littlest tap dancers, and she revealed in her autobiography how Bill was like an uncle to her, mentoring her both in dance and in life.

Sandman Sims
Another famous tapper from the golden era of Hollywood, he became notorious for his “sand dancing,” which involved tap dancing in a sandbox. He used to travel across the nation, challenging competitive tap dancers, and he rarely (if ever) lost a dance-off. He is regarded as one of the most creative and innovative tappers of his generation, and will always be known as a top tapper who never conformed to otherwise traditional rules of the dance.

Playing Cards to solve crimes

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Playing cards are seen with pretty much every party magician and you have probably learned or been the witness to a very clever card trick at some point or another. But did you know they can help solve crimes?

The idea behind using playing cards to help solve crimes isn’t necessarily a new one but it’s never been used in such a way before now. Back in the early 2000s, the US military infamously handed out decks of playing cards to troops with the faces of important people involved in the Iraq war. After enjoying a bit of time off playing cards, the idea was that the troops may well recognise a face when out on patrol and take down the 4 of Clubs (to give an example picked at random!)

In 2013, the state of Florida decided to copy this idea, replacing the faces of the playing cards with the faces of murder victims. We know, it’s all rather macabre for this blog, especially considering our jazz murder fact a couple of weeks ago! But this is a fascinating fact and we just can’t help but share. Each playing card of ‘Cold Case Cards’ look like the ones posted above and they retail for a couple of bucks, often being the only deck of cards available to bored prison inmates at the penitentiary shop.

But why bother? The answer of course is in the phrase ‘loose lips sink ships’. When inmates play with one another or perform a magic trick for others, somebody might spot a face that they recognise or recall some information that another inmate may have bragged about previously. Realising that the information they now hold could result in their own reduced jail time, these inmates pass on the facts to a warden and the crime may very well be solved.

The idea of putting the face of victims of crime on playing cards has been a definite success with many other states taking up the scheme and according to the New York Post, over 40 crimes being solved since their introduction. Amazingly two murders were solved in the space of a week just last year!

History of the Tea Party

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During the 18th century tea gardens became popular. The whole idea of the garden was for ladies and gentlemen to take their tea together outdoors surrounded by entertainers. They attracted everybody including Mozart and Handel. The tea gardens made tea all the more fashionable to drink, plus they were important places for men and women to meet freely.

While drinking tea as a fashionable event is credited to Catherine of Braganza, the actual taking of tea in the afternoon developed into a new social event some time in the late 1830’s and early 1840’s. Jane Austen hints of afternoon tea as early as 1804 in an unfinished novel. It is said that the afternoon tea tradition was established by Anne, Duchess of Bedford. She requested that light sandwiches be brought to her in the late afternoon because she had a “sinking feeling” during that time because of the long gap between meals. She began to invite others to join her and thus became the tradition.

Various Tea Times:

Cream Tea — A simple tea consisting of scones, clotted cream, marmalade or lemon curd and tea.

Low Tea/Afternoon Tea — An afternoon meal including sandwiches, scones, clotted cream, curd, 2-3 sweets and tea. Known as “low tea” because guests were seated in low armchairs with low side-tables on which to place their cups and saucers.

Elevenses — Morning coffee hour in England.

Royale Tea — A social tea served with champagne at the beginning or sherry at the end of the tea.

High Tea — High tea co notates an idea of elegancy and regal-ness when in fact is was an evening meal most often enjoyed around 6 pm as laborers and miners returned home. High tea consists of meat and potatoes as well as other foods and tea. It was not exclusively a working class meal but was adopted by all social groups. Families with servants often took high tea on Sundays in order to allow the maids and butlers time to go to church and not worry about cooking an evening meal for the family.

Etiquette when attending a tea party:

Greeting/handshake
After sitting down — put purse on lap or behind you against chair back.

Napkin placement — unfold napkin on your lap, if you must leave temporarily place napkin on chair.

Sugar/lemon — sugar is placed in cup first, then thinly sliced lemon and never milk and lemon together.

Milk goes in after tea — much debate over it, but according to Washington School of Protocol, milk goes in last. The habit of putting milk in tea came from the French. “To put milk in your tea before sugar is to cross the path of love, perhaps never to marry.” (Tea superstition)

The correct order when eating on a tea tray is to eat savories first, scones next and sweets last. We have changed our order somewhat. We like guests to eat the scones first while they are hot, then move to savories, and sweets.

Scones — split horizontally with knife, curd and cream is placed on plate. Use the knife to put cream/curd on each bite. Eat with fingers neatly.

Proper placement of spoon — the spoon always goes behind cup, also don’t leave the spoon in the cup.

Proper holding of cup — do not put your pinky “up”, this is not correct. A guest should look into the teacup when drinking — never over it.

Since ancient Rome, a cultured person ate with 3 fingers, a commoner with five. Thus, the birth of the raised pinkie as a sign of elitism. This 3 fingers etiquette rule is still correct when picking up food with the fingers and handling various pieces of flatware. This pinky “up” descended from a misinterpretation of the 3 fingers vs 5 fingers dining etiquette in the 11th century.

Hire a Magician

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A great magician really does tick all the boxes when you are arranging a Corporate Party, or indeed any function that needs guests to be entertained.

Of course we all know that magicians usual use cards for their tricks, but have you ever wondered why there is a Joker in the pack? Well we have the information that you require!

We have all shuffled a pack of cards at a private party. Cards are great magic entertainment for events. Most probably you own at least one, just in case we want to practice a couple of magic tricks or have a game or two of a popular card game. You normally take the playing cards from the pack, take out the Jokers and start dealing the cards.

In the 1860s, some American card players of Euchre devised some new rules for their beloved game. The problem? It required an extra card. Sure, they could have used one of the spare cards from the deck, but since all the face cards are part of the game, this wouldn’t have been a ‘good fit’. They referred to the new card they came up with as the Best Bower, adding it to the game where it became the highest trump card available.

Looking to make a quick buck from these variation rules, American card manufacturers quickly jumped on the trend by including a couple of extra cards in their decks. The British were a little slower to catch on though, only adding them in during the 1880s.

The Best Bower card was slowly phased out to become the Joker or Jolly Joker that we all know and love today. Like the Ace of Spades, it was typically branded with the company logo or with a unique floral motif that connected it to the manufacturer. It wasn’t until the Joker title for the card became more common that it was almost always represented by a performing jester.

Despite the fact you may think the Joker is connected in some way to the Fool in Tarot cards, you might be interested to know that there is no connection at all. Tarot cards have been around since the 15th century when jesters were still a possible career option and there is no link to the Jokers in a pack of cards.

Fundraising events

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Individual fundraising efforts can bring in substantial amounts of money. The publicity they attract can also help to boost a charity group’s profile.

This type of trial seems to really suit certain people. Sports enthusiasts, adrenaline junkies and others. None of whom seem happy unless they are taking it to the max!

The trick for your charity is to offer them a way to raise funds for you that matches their interests. This might include encouraging individuals or working with an existing club or corporate events to raise awareness.

There are also a large number of unlikely candidates for even some of the most extreme sports challenges and sponsored events. Of course it is this that helps attract money and publicity.

So if you are looking to bring a test of endurance or stamina into your life. Or fancy yourself as an all action hero. Or if you work for a charity and want to encourage others to raise funds for your group check out the great event ideas below.

Charity Abseil

Charity Bungee Jump

Charity Parachute Jump

Firewalking

Run A Charity Marathon