Scientists have successfully categorized the five different types of jugglers. Which juggling personality type best describes you?
Annoying juggler
Annoying Juggler: Every juggling club has one. That annoying juggler who’s always borrowing your props, scuffing them up, standing too close to you while you’re practicing, asking you questions when you’re trying to focus. Don’t be that guy.
Back in my day juggler
“Back in my day” Juggler: The “back in my day” juggler remembers the good old days. Plastic juggling clubs? Pshh, kids today. The “back in my day” juggler has been to every juggling festival ever and actually taught W.C. Fields his cigar box routine.
Arrogant juggler
Arrogant Juggler: The arrogant juggler makes some good points, but his know-it-all attitude alienates a lot of people. He’s never wrong, and mocks everything you say with a tinge of sarcasm.
Most interesting juggler
Most Interesting Juggler: He’s done a 5-up pirouette on Mount Everest. He can do a wheelie on his unicycle. He’s the most interesting juggler in the world. Stay juggling, my friends.
Internet juggler
Internet Juggler: The internet juggler doesn’t juggle much. He spends most of his time watching juggling videos online. He’s watched Gatto’s Cirque routines over 700 times and can name every one of Wes Peden’s moves. He has little human contact and panics in social situations.
What does baseball have to do with juggling? Not a whole lot, frankly. However, it seems that a number of baseball players have shown an aptitude for juggling. Is it the hand-eye coordination required to be a big league player? Is it the hours of monotony spent sitting on the bench? No one knows for sure… Take a look at the photos below and make sure to watch Josh Womack’s outstanding video below.
Washington Nationals pitcher Jordan Zimmermann
Dodgers Star Orel Hershiser
Dick Allen of the White Sox smokes while juggling in the dugout
Spring has sprung, which means high school juniors will soon start thinking about college applications. It’s a lot of pressure, but Dubé Juggling has got a handy guide to help you find the college of your dreams.
-Ball State is an obvious choice for jugglers.
-Choose a major based on what type of juggling you enjoy. Into siteswaps? Study rocket science. Do you enjoy clowning? Study political science. Poi spinner? Study post-modern approaches to interpretive dance and astrology.
-The quad isn’t just for frisbee and hacky sack. It’s also great for club passing, staff spinning, fire juggling, or any other stoner-friendly manipulation-based activity.
-Your GPA matters, but it’s not the only thing. Make sure you keep a Juggling Point Average of at least 4.0 balls.
-If you think about it, the lower part of Michigan looks like a hand, and the upper part looks like a club being tossed. For this reason alone, we recommend University of Michigan. Go Wolverines!
-Unicycles aren’t just for cruising around campus. they’re also a great way to pick up babes.
-College is a great time to explore yourself. And by explore yourself, we mean try out new skill toys like kendama and rope dart. Ew, gross. What did you think we were talking about?
-If the college president puts your juggling club on double secret probation, the next 90 minutes are going to be hilarious!
As part of our partnership with El Circense, the Spanish language digital circus arts magazine, we will be republishing some of their original content, in English.
This week, we present an in-depth interview with foot juggler (also known as antipodist) Emilia Tau from the August, 2011 edition of El Circense. Interview by Nico . Photos by Guidu – Anne Coudron – Bertrand Depoortére
Who is Emilia Tau?
I am a woman from the south of Italy, with dark hair, passionate and romantic, that loves to pick up wild flowers. I am an antipodist and juggler. I try to do my job with honesty, trying to be pure. I like justice, equality and being disoriented in remote countries. I like laughing and watching when the audience look at me with big eyes.
How did you start with juggling and which is your artistic formation?
I get in touch with juggling and circus world 12 years ago in France. In University, by evening, there were circus workshops and a friend, Carlos Caro, who invited me to participate. We used to make up impossible passing patterns with all kind of objects. I like it so much. Back then I wasn’t thinking about developing a career. I only thought of my love and the activity that I dedicated most of my time to. It came free and alone, like the natural course of things.
I consider myself self taught. I was helped and supported by important meetings and by the lucidity and strength of my instincts. I started learning from other jugglers in the park, going to juggling meetings, practicing in a circus school in Madrid, and also other workshops of dance, theater and juggling.
Finally, in Berlin I found the mime corporelle dramatique and my teacher Oliver Pollack. Although I don’t practice this in its pure and classic form, it helped me get to know the possibilities of the body physically and expressively. I found poetry in movement and the scene. I received much from the Butoh dancer, juggler and poet Jean Daniel Fricker. I took part of the FAAAC (Formacion Alternative Autogerée aux Artes du Cirque). I always trained my technique. I heard, read and saw different shows, which also challenged me.
Why did you choose antipodism as a discipline?
I lived in Nantes, France and Julien Chénè, my neighbor and friend, was in a circus school. He had an antipodism workshop. We started playing together, and throwing unexpected objects with our feet. I worked with clubs and then balls. I was encouraged to go on by some artist friends. I was trying to use the balls but with no references. This gave me huge freedom in investigating and experimenting. After a time I noticed that I wasn’t just juggling.
Who were your references in this discipline?
As I told you, my skill was born in a spontaneous way, without references. Only later I started watching classic videos and meeting artists with other methods, such as Michael Menes. Today I educate with technique and teaching method in different countries. A lot of people are interested. Some of them try to create new forms and add personality to the technique. Regrettably, others only take figures and don’t go further. It is unfortunate when you have too much influence.
How do you train?
I used to train for many hours a day. I didn’t even notice the seasons changing! Now my training is focused on creation periods; warming the body, stretching, dancing freely with and without objects, working pure technique, improvising, writing, and always searching.
What do you think about juggling scene these days?
Certainly, the technique level has increased. There is a lot of research in figures, studying methods and many festivals. There is a big quantity of interesting, fresh and passionate projects. Anyways, compared to other arts, you still see the limits. We have not found full freedom in doing, squeezing and exploiting.
Which are your future projects?
I am writing a show with the Bertrand Depoortére et Francesca Palombo company. It is called “World Autobiografia” and all about our world perception. For this project we are travelling a lot, meeting people taking images and sounds. It’s a show that combines object manipulation, antipodism, dance, projecting images and live music. We are working to perform it for first time in spring 2012.
Other project born under the Angeline Soum include the music and personality of Kurt Weill. We are three jugglers and three musicians, one of them that is also lyric singer.
The housing market is beginning to recover, which means many jugglers are looking to buy new homes. Here are some helpful tips:
-It is every juggler’s dream to have a home with really high ceilings. However, you can save money by just finding a home with really low floors.
-Consider living in a community open to fellow carnies and vagrants. You’ll fit right in.
-Get your realtor to knock the price down a few thousand by showing her three up pirouette back crosses.
-Living in a good school district is nice but a good local juggling club is much more important.
-Location is key. Make sure you are unicycling distance from the grocery store.
-An apple tree in your backyard means you’ll never run out of juggling props.
-Solid marble floors might cost a lot, but they are ideal for bounce juggling. Don’t skimp on that.
-Oregon is beautiful but remember that it can take six days to receive packages from Dubé Juggling. Linden, New Jersey is somewhat less desirable but you will receive your juggling equipment in one business day #priorities
We’re constantly developing and testing out new products. Here’s a rundown of our highest rated new products:
Mini Hoops – Offered by our sister brand TrooHoops, our Mini Hoops are perfect for a number of applications, including poi-style hooping, arm and leg spinning (a la Francis Brunn), isolations and even traditional toss juggling. Available in three different sizes, 17″, 20″ and 24″.
Holographic Rings – Add some snazz and panache to your routine! Our new Holograph Rings are the perfect choice for stage performing or for a juggler who just wants a flashier ring. Slightly thicker than our Airflight Ring, they are a little more stable in the air.
Delux Beanbag – More panels means more symmetry. Our newest Delux Beanbag features 12 panels helping the beanbag maintain a rounder shape during flight. Available in 8 eye-catching colors!
Body Rolling Ball – Bigger isn’t always better, but in this case it is! Our new Body Rolling Ball is made with contact jugglers in mind, though it is great for toss juggling and can even be spun on a finger (if you’re good!) Five inches in diameter!
Turbo Bounce Ball – Want to get into bounce juggling but don’t have the money for silicone? Our Turbo Bounce Balls are made for the aspiring bounce juggling on a budget.
Though the practice of tattooing is hundreds of years old, it has only recently moved into the mainstream. Prior to the 1990s, tattooing was mostly reserved for bikers, prisoners, sailors and assorted counter cultural ne’er-do-wells. However, the past 20-30 years have seen the art form surge into mainstream legitimacy with doctors, lawyers and even grandmothers getting themselves inked up. Some tattoos have spiritual or sacred value. Others are expressions of vanity. Still more are drunken mistakes that will remind their owner of the consequences of poor decision making for the rest of their lives. It is only inevitable then, that tattooing should reach the juggling and circus arts communities.
Below is a selection of juggling tats submitted by our friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter. Which are your favorites? Let us know in the comments. Do you have a circus tat? Share it with us!
Grandma had a problem. No not my grandma. Not anyone’s grandma, really. We’re talking about Barry Lubin, the man behind the legendary Grandma the Clown character. The renowned and award-winning circus clown uses a giant hula hoop in his act. While great for comedy, giant hula hoops have their drawbacks; namely, their size. A 6-foot diameter hula hoop requires 19 feet of tubing. As you can imagine, this makes travel nearly impossible. Because of this, Barry would construct a brand-new hoop in every city he worked in. Upon leaving that city, he would simply throw the hoop away.
Barry called us asking for help. He heard about our collapsible hula hoops and wanted to know if we could make one for him. We told him that we could but Barry wasn’t going to take our word for it. He wanted to see the hoop in action to make sure it worked the way we said it did. No problem, we told him. We simply turned on our webcam and demonstrated our 6-foot hula hoop for him live via our Ustream account. After seeing it in action, Barry was satisfied that he had found a collapsible 6-foot hoop that would work for him. We sent it to him the very next day.
Do you need a unique or customized circus prop? Don’t be afraid to ask. We might not be able to make it for you but we can definitely try!
Making money in the variety arts is a tough proposition. Gigs can be difficult to find and every gig presents an unique set of challenges. Here are some tips to help you survive.
-Always show up early. Event planners get really nervous when you’re not early. When they get nervous, they get agitated. When they get agitated, they make your life difficult. Make your life easy and get there promptly.
-When you meet your contact at a gig, make sure you remember their name. It sounds simple, but it is so easy to forget someone’s name when you meet them the first time. You will need this person. Their name is important.
-Does your performance involve music? Are you bringing your own sound equipment? If not, be prepared for complications. It’s best to bring music on iPod AND CD. In fact, you should also bring a number of different cables to connect your iPod to the system. Don’t ever assume that the event planner knows what they’re doing when it comes to sound.
-Is it a stage show? Have you seen the stage before? When talking to the event planner, make sure they understand the space requirements for your performance. Be prepared to adjust your routine if you don’t have enough space.
-Did they hire you to juggle at night? Will it be dark? This has happened to me. People will hire you without even thinking about the fact that it’s impossible to juggle in the dark. This is why light up LED juggling balls are a must have for any working juggler.
-BRING BUSINESS CARDS. C’mon. Really? You forgot your business cards? Really? Buy a bunch of cards, and put some in your suitcase. Put others in your car. Put more in your wallet, then put a few in your coat pocket. Now you’ll always have one near by.
-You will be treated poorly at events sometimes. This happens to everyone. Don’t let it affect your performance. Remember, the audience doesn’t know or care that an event planner barked at your or one of the guests made a snide comment. Just go about your business; you can always complain to your friends about it later.
-Be gracious and say goodbye to your hosts and the event planner. They will remember this. No one likes a prima dona juggler.
Arbitrary? Capricious? You bet! Here’s part two of our “Top 10 things” of 2011!
5 Quite a catch!
At NYC’s Juggle This! Festival, Reeses made what was, perhaps, the catch of the year. You can see the whole photo set here.
4 Marcus Monroe!
Marcus Monroe’s off-Broadway show was a bit hit! Produced by Hollywood legend Lucie Arnaz, Marcus’ show combined juggling, comedy, and something called “The Knorch”.
3 Kyle Johnson’s yellow balls
Kyle Johnson put together one of the prettiest juggling videos in a while after spending the summer attending festivals in Europe. Watch below!
2 PINK SHORTS!!!
Jacob Sharpe’s Pink Shorts video brought sexy and juggling together like never before. And yes, it’s ok for men to wear pink hot pants.
1 Unicyclists are the enemy within
Did I mention this list is arbitrary? Well what could be more arbitrary than picking yourself as the number one “thing” of 2011? This year, I was featured on Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report in a segment titled “Unicyclists: The Enemy Within”
As part of our partnership with 
Why did you choose antipodism as a discipline?
