When the knives ring at the traffic light

How the Venezuelans Thay Morales and Ije Cohen made street art a career, why there's usually so much more behind Colombia's street artists, and why it's worth applauding at traffic lights.

Thay Morales and Ije Cohen, street artists and tattoo artists of the impressive kind.

5:00 p.m., Parque de los Niños (Children's Park), Bucaramanga. As in most cities in the world, all hell breaks loose at this time. Crowded streets, rush hour, the background noise is characterized by honking cars, it smells of petrol. The light signals have a slow cycle in Bucaramanga, on the main roads the traffic lights are often red for up to 60 seconds.

What is a test of patience for stressed drivers is the hour of the day for street performers. From break dancers to jugglers to windshield cleaners and caffeine drink vendors, almost everything is on display. What at first seems like harassment and begging at traffic lights is in many cases much more than that. An art, a passion, a profession - in the case of Thay Morales and Ije Cohen, a profession they have been doing for more than 13 years at the highest level and who has shaped her life in the most diverse ways.

During the almost 60 seconds at the red light, the two throw sharp knives at each other, juggle them in the air and combine the choreography with other elements. They go full throttle for a good minute, the show would definitely be fit for the circus or television. Finally, there is a short bow before the tips are collected from the standing cars. “Sometimes we only get a few coins for a performance, but sometimes we get up to 5,000 pesos (about 1.20 USD). The scenario is repeated more than 50 times, the two perform three hours in the morning and three hours in the evening during the rush hour. During the day they rest, do their shopping or rehearse and practice their choreography in the park.

Performing with knives and clubs at the traffic light - Thy and Ije have been a well-rehearsed team for 13 years.

On average, they earn around 100,000 pesos a day (approx. 25 USD) - more than half of which can be immediately reinvested in hotel costs and food. Because the couple doesn't live in Bucaramanga, they're just passing through. They have performed their performances in various cities throughout South America. The metropolises in Peru, Chile and Argentina have already enjoyed the performance of the knives.

The couple grew up near the Colombian city of Cúcuta, but after crossing the border on the Venezuelan side. You now spend most of your time in the Colombian cities of Medellin and Bucaramanga. Bucaramanga offers the advantage of being close to home, so you can regularly visit your family, who also takes care of your 8-year-old son.

Excerpt from the knife performance by Ije Cohen and Thay Morales on Bucaramanga's streets.

The profession of street art allows the couple to be flexible and to finance their travels. In the meantime, however, they are considering focusing on their second mainstay, the tattoo business. "We want to spend more time with our son and offer him security."

They feel comfortable in Bucaramanga, the people here are rather conservative but tolerant. They rarely have negative experiences here, sometimes energetic police officers ask them to leave the traffic lights. The business is not legal, but is mostly tolerated. There is great solidarity among the street performers, "first come, first serve - if we see that a lucrative traffic light is occupied, we respect that and move on," Thay explains to me.

A highlight is always when drivers or motorcyclists applaud their performance. “That gives us the confirmation and the joy of constantly refining and improving our performances”.