Charlotte duo turns stoplights into spotlights, captivating passing motorists

The temperature had climbed to 94 degrees on July Fourth when Erick Valentin skipped into the crosswalk of a Charlotte intersection and held up three juggling pins.

An audience of motorists who were stopped at a red light on North Kings Drive near uptown watched as Valentin and his roommate began their show, pins spinning into the air.

In a big city where ambitious people are relocating for the economic opportunity, count Valentin among them. The 20-year-old moved to Charlotte from Mexico two years ago and taught himself to juggle to earn cash beyond landscaping work.

Such street performances are a tradition and a popular way to earn money in Mexico. His roommate, from El Salvador, is helping teach him.

“If you have an idea or you want to do something to help your family or help yourself, you have to learn anything — a job — if you have a talent you can try to do it,” Valentin said.

The duo teams up for street performances when their work schedules align, and Thursday was one such day.

The performers drank water under a tree as traffic moved by. A red light offered the chance for a new show, and Valentin bounced into the crosswalk. At times, they waved before starting.

Wearing a fedora and colorful vest, his roommate spun a soccer ball on a pin he held in his mouth while juggling three other pins, and then worked the ball into the mix — juggling four items.

Valentin used two sticks to bounce a third into the air, spinning around after lofting it high.

He raised each leg to bounce the stick under without letting it fall.

Some dropped pins were likely the result of the wind and the pressure of an unexpected video recording.

Motorists honked their support. Some have yelled at them to get out of the street or get a job. Valentin can light the pins on fire, but doesn’t do that anymore because someone called the authorities.

An irritated bus driver on Thursday honked in anger. But the light was red. She wasn’t going anywhere.

A woman riding in a car called out to ask the performers if they could ride a unicycle they had propped against a utility pole. It had a bad tire, though.

At the end of one performance, Valentin raised both arms as to signal victory.

He collected some cash offered by a man riding in an SUV and then trotted to the shade to wait for the next red light.