By Kyle Petersen

Hey kids, if you like Fushigi Magic Gravity Ball, then you’ll love the Bananashigi! Bananashigi is the world’s first magic gravity fruit. It’s yellow, it’s treated with pesticides and it’s sweeping the nation!

Although Dubé Juggling has no plans to carry the Bananashigi, you can always buy one from the fruit vendor downstairs on the corner of Spring Street and Broadway.

So don’t hesitate! Don’t delay! Order yours now!

Hat tip to Brent Fiasco for making this hilarious video.

By Kyle Petersen

This week’s Video Friday features renowned circus performers Mister Om and Jea9 demonstrating advanced partner contact juggling. Take a look!

By Naomi Donabedian

Click on this image to read

Every so often Brian Dubé sifts through his massive records and fishes out some ephemera. For the digital age kiddies, that means something printed on paper. You can hear the upbeat enthusiasm in his voice and know you’re gonna get to see something rare, “Hey you want to see something cool.”  How about Discover Magazine, 1982 with an article about Ronald Graham, head of Mathematical Studies Center at Bell Labs and ex- IJA president. Brian doesn’t just have the article, he has the magazine sent to him by Ronald Graham in a Bell Labs envelop.

Bell labs envelope in which the article was originally sent to Brian.

The article is smart, venerating juggling and its links to the math world. Graham is painted as playful creative genius relying on juggling, acrobatics, and cubing to discover answers while solving “hard” math problems in a high functioning world class lab.

First spread of article

Second spread. Check out that fancy calculator!

Do they let you do this at your job?

So does juggling make you smarter or do really smart people like to juggle?

By Kyle Petersen

I first saw Book Kennison perform at the 2010 Juggle This! festival in New York City, and I was blown away. His performance combines elements of contortion, juggling, slight of hand manipulation, comedy and good old-fashioned vaudevillian flair. Take a look below and enjoy!

By Kyle Petersen

California based juggler Kyle Johnson does an excellent job breaking down the basics of head rolls and head stalls in a video he made for the IJA tutorial competition. We hope it inspires you to give it a try!

By Kyle Petersen

This week’s video Friday features classic footage of Lottie and Francis Brunn from the Ed Sullivan Show. The brother and sister duo are, even today, considered two of the greatest jugglers of all time. Enjoy!

By Kyle Petersen

Guillermo de la Kausa

Several weeks ago I wrote a piece titled Street Juggling in Latin America. While researching the article, I came across website of a street performer named Guillermo de la Kausa. A native of Peru, Guillermo makes his living traveling the cities of Latin America juggling under traffic lights. Guillermo also videotapes and photographs the other street performers he encounters and posts their videos on his YouTube page. Guillermo was gracious enough to talk with me about his life, his experiences and the reality for street performers in Latin America.

Kyle: Where are you from, how old are you, and how many years have you been juggling?

Guillermo: I am from Latin America. Lima, Peru, to be exact. I’ve been traveling for six years juggling, and I’m 30-years-old.

Kyle: Can you describe a typical day in the life of a street juggler?

Guillermo: The traffic lights of Latin America are very competitive. Many people make their living at the the traffic light, which we all share. I like to get there early in the morning and start working. By the time the street vendors arrive in the afternoon, I’ve already made a little bit of money and I leave the traffic light to them so that they can earn their living. The weekdays at the traffic light the drivers live very quickly. The weekends are more peaceful, the people are more relaxed and go out with their family. They watch us juggle with attention and admiration. You can usually make more money on the weekends. Remember: when times get tough, put on a smile and keep juggling.

Kyle: You mentioned that you like cigar box juggling. What are your favorite props?

Guillermo: Yes, I I love cigar boxes and I perform with them under the traffic lights. I juggle a little bit of everything. The props I like most are: knives, cigar boxes and devil sticks.

Kyle: What are your favorite tricks?

Guillermo: I don’t know the name of my tricks, I do what comes naturally to me. I learned to juggle in the street, not in a school. We perfect our tricks watching other jugglers. I juggle for common people, working people that don’t have knowledge about juggling. I don’t juggle for juggler or juggling critics; I juggle for the people. The people enjoy it when I practice my art.

Kyle: You’ve traveled and worked in different countries in Latin America. Which countries have you visited? Which cities are your favorite?

Guillermo: Traveling is very natural for me. I know several different countries: Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, all of Peru. My favorite place is a place where I feel comfortable doing the things I love.The places I’ve seen are beautiful. In every city there is good and bad. I would say that there is no such thing as an ideal city.

Kyle: You mentioned that it can be dangerous to work in the street, and that you’ve been robbed. What is it like working on the streets?

Guillermo: The street is very exciting; there is a little of everything. It is also very difficult. Juggling at the traffic light I was hit by a motorcycle. It was very painful and I couldn’t juggle for a while. When you juggle and you leave your things in a backpack next to the traffic light, they will steal your belongings if you’re not careful. This has happened to me and my friends throughout the years. In Lima, Peru the municipal police don’t let you work. They took my props and my friend tried to resist and they beat him. When you travel from one city to another you have to look for cheep motels to reduce costs. There are always inexpensive hotels. There’s always a place to sleep, at the very least you can sleep in a church or an abandoned school; I’ve learned this from the other jugglers I’ve met.

Kyle: You’ve written and recorded a lot about street juggling in Latin America. What is your goal in documenting street jugglers? Why did you decide to do this?

Guillermo: I am a juggler, and I am involved with and committed to what I love. Some years ago I photographed a fellow juggler in the street. The photos were great; these photos gave him life. I put together some money and bought a video camera so that the jugglers on the street could express their art through the images I recorded. I always record artists on the street who can’t afford to buy a camera of their own. Yes, I have goals, dreams and aspirations. One day I want to make a movie about jugglers in Latin America and because of this I am in Buenos Aires studying a cinematography course to perfect my art. I hope all goes well; obstacles always pop up when you’re in a foreign country.

(Continued below)

Guillermo in action

Kyle: How do you think street juggling in Latin America is different from street juggling in the US?

Guillermo: I don’t know street juggling culture in your country but I know that there are many excellent jugglers. In Latin America, many people juggle out of necessity. They are children or fathers that juggle to bring home some rice and beans. I’ll tell you that in the city of Quito, Ecuador, at a traffic light I found some African children from Guyaquil without shoes because they were poor. Their feet were all cut up. They juggled three home-made juggling balls at the traffic light and collected money to by bread and milk to bring to their younger siblings. In Peru I met young people that juggled in their school uniform until midday and from there they ran to school with the money to buy a notebook. In Colombia some husbands juggled and did pantomime while their wives would collect the money and go to the market to buy food for their children. This is the reality for Latin American jugglers.

Kyle: Guillermo, thank you so much for your time. Good luck with your travels, and if you’re ever in New York, please stop by and say hello.

Guillermo: Thank you my friend, good luck!

Editor’s note: interview was conducted via email in Spanish and translated by the editor to English. Watch Guillermo performing below:

By Kyle Petersen

Although the history of poi goes back hundreds of years, little is known about the development of the art form. Some say it first developed as a weapon. Others say it evolved out of games played by the indigenous Maori people of New Zealand. Still others say it originated as an ancient performance art.

Poi has come a long way since it’s Polynesian origins. Fire and LED poi are extremely popular, especially in the dance and electronic music scenes. The movements have evolved too, combining elements of break dance, martial arts, and object isolation.

Here is an example of a traditional Maori poi and dance routine. Notice the short cords used and the emphasis on music and choreography.

Below is a clip of Zan, a friend of the store, demonstrating some modern fire poi and kite poi manipulation.

By Kyle Petersen

Group photo courtesy of Luke Burrage

By all accounts, the first-ever New York City Unicycle Festival was a smashing success. Hundreds of mono-wheelers converged on the Big Apple this Labor Day weekend, making the festival the largest meeting of unicyclists that New York has ever seen.

The festival kicked off at 3pm on Friday, when Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz proclaimed September 3rd, 2010 to be Brooklyn Unicycle Day. The cyclists, who had assembled at City Hall in Manhattan, then rode their unicycles over the Brooklyn Bridge. From there, the riders went onward through Grand Army Plaza, Prospect Park and down Ocean Parkway, finally arriving at Surf Avenue in Coney Island, where Nathan’s hot dogs were enjoyed by all.

Saturday’s festivities were held on Governors Island, a former military base south of Manhattan. From noon to 5pm, riders enjoyed demonstrations, games, raffles, races and of course, DJ Sky King spinning beats on the 1s and 2s. Sunday’s events at Grant’s Tomb in Manhattan included open unicycle riding at the burial place of the nation’s 18th president.

“I was amazed by the broad spectrum of different types of unicycles we had participating in the festival”, said Keith Nelson, co-founder of the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus and festival organizer. “On Saturday, we had 305 registered participants, making it one of the largest unicycle festivals in the nation. Next year, we expect the numbers to double.” Added Nelson, “it’s time to start preparing for next year.”

Dubé Juggling is a proud sponsor of the New York City Unicycle Festival. We would like to congratulate Keith Nelson, Stephanie Monseu and all of the volunteers who made the 2010 festival a success. Watch some highlights from Governors Island below:

By Kyle Petersen

Another Labor Day weekend is upon us, and that means it’s time for the annual NY Clown Theater Festival! This year promises to be a blast, with a clown parade, a massive pie fight, and of course, plenty of shows. Below you can watch the 2006 clown parade as they meet in Union Square and ride the subway together to Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

For more information, please visit http://www.bricktheater.com/clown/