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The Professor Confidence Corner

By Dave Finnigan, Education Director Edmonds, WA

Confessions of a chicken - When I attended my first IJA convention in Newark, DE, in 1977, I had only been juggling for 10 months. My mind was so severely blown by the incredible skill of that room full of crazies that I hardly dared to juggle at all. Even in Eugene in 1978 I was intimidated by the more awesome members of our species (Homo Jugularis) and tended to retreat to a comer and work on familiar patterns with my Seattle cronies. It was only in Amherst in 1979 that I found sufficient courage to get out in the middle of the room and go for it; trying tricks I'd never tried before and using new juggling apparatus. I swore not to be intimidated and wasn't. Frankly, nobody cared whether I could keep five objects going except me, but by the time I left for home, I had a solid five beanbag cascade going and was attempting a half-shower.

The potential for progress at a convention is unprecedented if you can accept your own imperfection and take advantage of the accumulated wisdom and energy. The workshop format seems to help, since it permits each of us to admit a lack of knowledge in a number of areas. If you, like so many of us, have been intimidated by other jugglers, come to Fargo prepared to drop everything in sight. Although it is true that "Juggling is Catching!," learning any new move involves dropping. Drops are therefore signs of progress. "Come to Fargo and drop everything!" is my slogan for 1980.

Workshops in Fargo - At Amherst we had an unprecedented 14 workshops, and a number of informal sessions to explore interesting areas. In Fargo we will hold 25 workshops on the following topics:

1) Making your own props

2) Putting together a routine

3) Comedy juggling and clowning

4) Street performance and the renaissance of vaudeville

5 ) Teaching juggling for a living

6) Juggling games

7) Musical juggling

8) Torch juggling

9) Cigar boxes

10) Devil sticks

11) Diablos

12) Spinning plates and parasols

13) Nested cups and cups and saucers

14) Rope spinning

15) Hat tricks

16) Ping-pong ball popping

17)Finger plex and ball rolling

18) Multiplex

19) Unicycle

20) Tightrope

21) Rolling globe and rola-bola

22) Ball tricks

23) Numbers juggling

24) Club passing formations

25) Gymnastics and juggling.

These are participatory workshops. Those who have the skill should be prepared to add their two cents worth to the process. Those who want the skill should come prepared to try to learn it. If you have equipment, bring it. We will have at least one session for new or forgotten toys, so bring your feathers, pool cues, hatchets, shot puts, pogo sticks and other playthings for demonstration and sharing.

There will be space and time reserved in the "Great Hall of Jugglers" for basic instruction as well, so encourage those who are just getting "Jugglmania" to come along.

'Hooked' on it

The Juggler's Lament

By Detmar Straub Slippery Rock, PA

To be a juggler one must bow down and grovel in the dirt.

That's all well and good but, although the metaphysical undulations arouse fond encumbrances and a very semi-mental feeling within many, I was still not prepared for the sorrowful realization that juggling is a disease which, like other malignant disorders, is incurable and, I begin to fear, contagious as well. How many do you reckon may have caught it from me?

Within my memory it was rare enough to see anyone throw the balls, but now they are going up everywhere! Some think the fault is largely mine. I have heard this from many and am now conscious that this may perhaps be true. While intent only upon my own welfare, I may have been unwittingly injuring myself and others at the same time.

I fear that the reproaches of an aged father, who came to me with a long face and almost in tears may not be without foundation. "While I," he said, "have always honored your name, see the return you made in the ruin of my only son!" I stood for a time in embarrassed silence, for the age of the man and the expression of great sorrow on his face went to my heart. Recovering myself, I replied, as was quite true, that I was unacquainted with either him or his son.

"What matters it," the old man answered, "whether you know him or not? He certainly knows you! I have spent a great deal of money in providing instruction for him in the civil law, but he declares that he wishes to follow your footsteps. My fondest hopes have been disappointed, and I presume that he will never be a lawyer or a poet." At this, neither I nor the others present could refrain from laughter. He went off then, none the better humored.

But now I recognize that this merriment was ill-timed, and that the poor old man deserved our consolation, for his complaints and reproaches were not ungrounded. Our own sons formerly employed themselves in preparing such papers as might be useful to themselves or their friends, relating to family affairs, business or the worldly din of the courts. Now all they do is throw up--balls, that is.

It is after all but a poor consolation to have companions in misery. I should prefer to be ill myself. Now I am involved in others' ill-fortune as well as in my own. But all this would be nothing if, incredible as it may seem, this subtle poison had not now begun to infect even carpenters, fullers and ploughmen who leave the implements of their calling to play with the balls. I cannot say how far this plague has now spread.

In an effort to squelch this rising tide we formed a society called Jugglers Synonymous, and held regular meetings where the inflicted ones could gather and hopefully enjoy themselves without juggling--but alas, it also failed.

If you would find an explanation for all this, you must realize that the exquisite delights of juggling can be fully understood only by the rarest geniuses, who are careless of wealth, and possess a marked contempt for the things of this world, and who are by nature especially endowed with a peculiar elevation and freedom of the soul.

Consequently, as most learned jugglers agree, in no other branch of art can mere industry and application accomplish so little. Hence--and you may find it comical, although it disgusts me--all the jugglers of today are to be found in the streets. How delightful indeed must this gift be to those who really possess it, exercising such a fascination over sluggish minds, and in our vain and degenerate age, inducing even most avaricious to leave the pursuit of gain!