Watch Chile Traffic Light Performers Dazzle Drivers At Red Light [VIDEO]

Performers in South America, for years, have used a unique stage to display their craft: Traffic light stops. BBC reports about the intersections in Santiago, Chile which have become improvised stages for jugglers, unicyclists and puppeteers. These entertainers use their improvised stage to entertain their temporary audience (translation: drivers waiting at the traffic lights) and receive monetary compensation from pleased audience members in return. For the street performers who ride unicycles and juggle, the stunts can be potentially dangerous.

BBC followed 27-year-old Cristian Rubio Munoz, who risks being road kill from the midday traffic, and learns that the risk is part of the allure. "The danger makes it more entertaining," he says. "After a while you get the hang of it and you know how long you have before you have to get off. I've learned how to pace the routine so I won't get run over, or at least I hope I won't." As for profits, Cristian Rubio Munoz tells BBC that the end of the month brings in the best profit and that he earns 50,000 pesos ($100) on a good day. On a bad day, he rakes in 5,000 pesos ($10) but on average, he makes 15,000 pesos ($30). While this may not seem like much, it can be considered a legitimate living given that a teacher earns 300,000 pesos ($600) a month.

"Every car is like a world," said 36-year-old Andres Santana Gonzalez to BBC. "You never know if people are happy, so-so or sad. I try to let the people take away some positive thinking in their minds." But if you think any performance will do, think again! Cristian Rubio Munoz explains that in order to make money, his performance has to be impressive. "You have to be more dramatic. Everything has to be faster with bigger gestures to engage people," he explains. "In a park you can have a conversation with someone to keep their attention. Here, you have to be everything in a second." Why performers are taking to the streets varies from individual to individual--some are looking for money, some have no other option and some are looking to express their creativity.

The circus first came around in Chile in the 19th century with a group of troubadours who performed in Valparaiso and since then, the number of circuses has grown to 100 boasting 3,500 circus performers. From 1973 to 1990, under the Pinochet dictatorship, entertainers provided a form of escape for the general public. Since Chile has become a democracy, the number of performers has continued to grow but they no longer entertain to keep spirits high. "Today the pedestrian crossings are being used to earn money as well as a space to display art," says Francisco Alvarado Aretio, producer of El Circo del Mundo Chile (the World Circus Chile), which was founded in 1995. "It's like on the television shows where you have a minute to show your skill before a jury gives its verdict. The crossings are similar. The artist is giving their best performance for the cars on the street in the time it takes for the lights to go from red to green."

And it's not just Chile, as similar entertainers have been performing in Mexico and other parts of South America for decades and street lights are also a common place for vendors who are selling flowers, cigarettes, gums, candy, newspapers, magazines and fireworks according to Latin Times Editor-in-Chief Ernesto Sanchez. In Mexico; however, performing on the street lost its popularity in the 90's as many performers would tip off muggers of drivers with expensive possessions.