Mexican musical groups (such as norteño and mariachi), along with break dancers and doo-wop singers are the most frequent types of street performers on the New York subways. Generally three or four performers work in a group, but this man was working solo on this particular morning.

The performers get on the subway car, and begin performing as the doors close. The distance between stations is about 90 seconds. If working in a group, one member will start passing the hat about halfway between stations while the others work their way down the car; solo artists generally stop after about a minute to start collecting tips. Either way, when the train doors open, it’s off to the next car.