Peter Jarvis as the Silver Elvis sweeps away Zoe Gibb, 7. Photo / Simon Baker
Christchurch will be all shook up as "Silver Elvis" and a host of the world's premier street performers hit its streets.
The unique take on the King of Rock 'n' Roll is the creation of Canadian Peter Jarvis, who joins other top international acts in Christchurch today for
the start of World Buskers Festival.
The annual summer festival has grown to be one of the largest of its type in the world. This year it will run for 10 days and will include more than 40 invited artists from New Zealand, Canada, the United States, Brazil, Portugal, Japan, Italy, the Netherlands, Britain and Australia.
The performers show off their amazing talents, and try to make some money, at a variety of street locations around Christchurch, while more edgy acts are available to adult audiences at clubs around the city.
Jarvis, a former Canadian disco dance champion, has been performing his swivelling, robotic-style Elvis act around the world since 1999.
"A lot of people say I'm an Elvis impersonator. And I say, 'No, I'm an Elvis simulator'."
He uses a combination of silver reflective clothing and expensive make-up to create the robotic effect. The response everywhere in the world has been overwhelming, he says.
"The young kids know it because the Elvis music comes through on the Disney movies and in film culture. The grandmothers love it because they grew up with it, and teenagers like the robotics and the dance elements."
Last year 250,000 people attended 447 shows over 10 days on the streets and in the clubs of Christchurch.
