Entertainment

Bicycle action performer Trevor Bodogh performs gravity-defying tricks on two wheels while traversing a portable set of obstacles like ramps and platforms. The 25-minute set features Bodogh executing moves like climbing up a six-and-a-half-foot-tall “Devil’s Staircase” on his seatless bike. Bodogh can perform outdoors on a variety of surfaces, and he brings his own equipment, music, and sound system. Based in Toronto, Bodogh travels across the U.S. and Canada; fees start from $1,500.

New York-based GrooveHoops performs a mix of dance and acrobatics while manipulating Hula-Hoops. The six performers stage choreographed sets that typically last four to seven minutes, while using standard variety, glowing LED, or fire-lit Hula-Hoops. GrooveHoops travels worldwide; fees start from $500 for one performer.

Entertainment company Zen Arts offers an array of entertainment options for dramatic outdoor entertaining, including fire dancers, costumed mermaids, and transparent “bubble spheres” that float on water while holding dancers. Most recently, six female Olympians joined the company’s synchronized swimming troupe. Based in Los Angeles, Zen Arts performers can travel worldwide; performances cost between $10,000 and $100,000.

In addition to nighttime fireworks displays, PyroTecnico can also present daytime “fireworks” shows using colored smoke. With offices throughout the U.S., the company can stage performances anywhere. Prices available on request.

On July 13, ArtHamptons celebrated the centennial of Jackson Pollock's birth—and raised funds for the Jackson Pollock Lee Krasner Study House—with an event that included a performance art installation of a couple getting paint thrown at them.

Zen Arts in Southern California offers an array of entertainment that can take place in or around a pool, including their transparent spheres that hold performers and float on water.

Launched in the fall, No Parachute Theatre is an aerialist and dance company headed by Katelyn McCullouch. The ensemble consists of three female performers, and the troupe is available as event entertainment.

Drip combines live music and dancers who utilize elements such as sand, paint, and water in an up-close, sexy performance before an audience that stands for the duration of the show. The production opened in November 2012 in a new 5,100-square-foot venue on International Drive. Groups can book a private performance for 300 people. The venue is also available for concerts, art shows, and other purposes.

Available for bookings in New York through Elan Artists, Earth Harp Entertainment is a collective of musicians led by artist William Close, who was featured on America’s Got Talent. The Earth Harp is a string instrument that is rigged to the surrounding architecture and environment with strings that can extend to as many as 1,000 feet. The performer plays the musical instrument-installation combination by running his or her hands along the strings to create cello-like tones. Accompanied by percussion and other instruments, performances can range from ambient and trance-like to theatrical and energetic.

Companies such as Google and Disney have booked North Hollywood-based iLuminate. The performance troupe combines art and technology to create illusions and choreography in the dark for a buzzworthy effect. Dancers wear bodysuits outfitted with wirelessly controlled lights that coordinate with the dancers’ movements. Performances by iLuminate start at $6,000.

During the cocktail reception at the February 2012 fund-raiser in Chicago, dancers dressed in Soundsuits from artist Nick Cave shimmied through the crowd and playfully interacted with guests. The suits were made with fabric, plastic, metal, hair, and other materials that make sounds when rubbed together.

Dance group Lightwire Theater combines art, technology, and puppetry in their performances. Glowing characters come to life as performers and puppets outfitted in electroluminescent wire move around a pitch-black stage. In addition to their classic shows Darwin the Dinosaur and The Ugly Duckling, Lightwire Theater can also create custom tailored performances for events. Prices vary depending on the number of performers and length of the piece, and the group requires that the performance space be dark.

Svet is a singer and classically trained violinist who became fascinated with the hip-hop scene after moving to the U.S. from Bulgaria. His performances blend the classical sound of the violin with rock, reggae, house, and electronic music.

Seventeen-year-old Lindsey Norton is an acrobatic dancer whose distinctive style includes tumbling and flexibility tricks. For special events, prices range from $1,500 to $2,500 in addition to traveling expenses for two.

Third-place runner-up William Close plays the Earth Harp, a large string instrument rigged to the surrounding architecture and environment with strings that can extend up to 1,000 feet in length. Close wears cotton gloves covered in violin resin, and plays the musical instrument-slash-installation by running his hands along the strings to create cello-like tones. Accompanied by percussion and other instruments, performances can range from ambient and trance-like to theatrical and energetic.

Fifth-place finalist Joe Castillo claims to be America’s first sand animation performer. His act, SandStory, involves Castillo using sand to illustrate stories on top of a light table. His performances are choreographed to music and projected onto a large screen. Performances can include selections from previous stories or can be customized for the event. His private event fees range from $15,000 to $25,000, plus travel expenses.

AGT semifinalist Tim Hockenberry is a singer, pianist, and songwriter with a voice that has been likened to Ray Charles and Tom Waits. Hockenberry can be hired for private or corporate events for a fee ranging from $10,000 to $17,500 plus travel expenses; costs vary depending on whether he plays alone or with his band. Performances in the Midwest or the South require an additional $500 per band member; East Coast performances are an additional $1,000 per band member.

Married couple Donovan Jones and Rebecca Peache have received international recognition—including setting a Guinness World Record—for their acrobatic performances. Jones and Peache specialize in aerial acrobatics and acrobalance, a combination of partner lifts and hand balancing. The performance is suitable for a variety of event themes and types of music. The event space's ceiling must be at least 14 feet high to install a rigging point.

Singer-songwriter Bria Kelly has fronted several bands, including her current group Bria Kelly & Friends, which has a folksy sound reminiscent of music by Bonnie Raitt and John Mayer. For events, the 16-year-old can perform solo, as a duo, or in a larger group. Kelly, who lives in Virginia, is available to travel throughout the U.S.

Lumina the Laser Violinist puts a futuristic spin on a classic instrument. The musicians, booked solo or as a duo or trio, play with a laser bow while standing among pulsing light beams. Based in the U.K., Lumina travels worldwide; fees range from $5,000 to $12,000 not including travel costs.

At this year's Prudential Real Estate's conference in Orlando, Dallas-based Corporate Magic paired live dancers with digitized butterfly wings projected inside floating orbs to create a single, fluid movement of person and pixels onstage. In-house animators achieved the effect by using green-screen technology. Prices start at $10,000.

Los Angeles-based Le Ombre performs a mélange of dance and acrobatics against a backdrop of images and shadows, and can perform sets that incorporate branding, graphics and messaging. Full-length shows run from 60 to 90 minutes. The group travels internationally, and prices range from $25,000 to $65,000 for U.S. shows.

Kansas City, Missouri-based Quixotic Fusion offers an eclectic swirl of acrobatic feats, pulsing rhythms, and colorful digital images and light projections. The group can perform from five-minute openers up to 75-minute features. Prices start at $15,000 for shows in the U.S.

Scarlett Entertainment (281.900.4176, scarlettentertainment.com) now offers site-specific outdoor aerial dancers for events. Available nationwide, the artists use aerial and ballet techniques to perform across the face of buildings and can incorporate silks, ropes, zip lines, bungee cords, and partner balancing tricks.