Mama Lou lets her fingers do the talking

Mama Lou rips a phone book in half in Downtown Auckland yesterday as part of the buskers festival. Photo / Dean Purcell

Reading Mama Lou's resumé, you would expect the woman behind the talents to be a burly broad.

But she's a petite brunette from Seattle, who can rip a phone book in half with her bare hands, crush an apple with her bicep and play a game of human tug-of-war with her body as the rope.

"American Strong Woman" Mama Lou, aka Linsey Lindberg, is one of 14 buskers from around the world performing in the Auckland International Buskers Festival this week.

Weighing less than 65kg and just 153cm tall, Mama Lou can rip a phone book in half in 15 seconds.

"It does require a lot of strength but there's also a technique," she said.

The 28-year-old busker, cabaret dancer and circus performer has been in showbusiness for about 10 years and runs a circus school in Seattle.

"My mom was a clown. She's a costumier now. I guess I picked it up from her."

Mama Lou worked in human resources for a financial company in New York before taking up busking fulltime about three years ago. "I love to pass my strange knowledge on."

The festival, which is in its eighth year, includes acrobats, jugglers, mimes, magicians, pavement artists, puppetry, statues and comedians.

* Buskers in the festival, which ends tomorrow, will perform in Auckland City streets from midday. They will also perform tonight from 7.30 to 11.