W German collector issues second volume on history of juggling

By Gene Jones, IJA President

(Ed. note) A work of this magnitude is a rare occurrence in the juggling world and therefore warrants more than a casual review.  To research this article, Gene Jones traveled to West Berlin after attending the European IJA Convention to interview the author, Karl-Heinz Zeithen, and then to Paris to talk with the publisher, Michel Poignant.

After covering more than 3,900 years in Volume I, Karl-Heinz Zeithen has dedicated the second volume of 4,000 Years of Juggling exclusively to the 20th century.

This attempt to bring juggling up to date represents the conclusion of a flawed, though noble, effort.

Zeithen begins Volume II by stating ". ..the juggling art still remains one of the main genres of circus life and occupies, especially in America , a new position amongst pastime activities. "

Volume II appears to be Zeithen's evidence to substantiate this claim. The book contains a plethora of brief biographies about exceptional jugglers of this century. When accumulated within the covers of a single publication, the number of accomplished jugglers and their respective feats becomes astounding. It also becomes apparent that the vast majority of eclectic juggling artists are of European origin. Mr. Zeithen mourns the demise of the active cabaret and variety clubs that existed before World War II, since they provided a major source of employment for jugglers. Coupling that development with a sharp decrease in the number of active circuses, Zeithen points out that there is no longer a network of apprenticeship opportunity available for aspiring jugglers to develop high level talents.

The chapter "Club Juggling Troupes" discusses the growth and dissolution of numerous European juggling families which supplied many of the world's foremost solo artists during the past 30 years. Zeithen singles out Hungary as the hub for juggling troupes, attributing this occurrence to the National School for Artists in Budapest . Such schooling is also available in Moscow and other select cities in Europe, but has never been available in the United States .

Volume II is at its best when Mr. Zeithen focuses on the details of a particular artist's life and skills. One of the most striking examples is the story of Spanish antipodist Tito Reyes.

Reyes was stricken by polio at age four, causing him to lose his ability to walk. His brother-in-law began burying him in the sand at the beach far from home to force him to relearn walking. As a result, Reyes learned to walk on his hands and developed "an unusual sense of balance." He also learned to juggle, and eventually developed an act that made him one of the leading head-antipodists of the 1950s.