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The Professor Confidence Corner By Dave Finnigan, IJA Education Director
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Workshops
in Every Color of the Juggling Rainbow
Thanks
to the efforts of workshop leaders and the enthusiasm of jugglers, the
IJA convention is growing as an educational experience. Balance was
finally achieved this year by devoting the days to workshops, and the
evenings to competition and shows.
Most
classes were divided into two levels to accommodate those with only a
rudimentary level of skill and those who were intent on polishing
advanced abilities. This natural division will be repeated in the
future. A day-by-day summary of convention workshops follows: TUESDAY Julie
the Yo-Yo lady strung us along for an initial half-hour session where
we plumbed the wonderful world of an object that requires no drop
lines. Bruce Stone then explained a simple system of notation which
should help jugglers to express moves in writing in a unified and
comprehensible manner. Due to its popularity, this workshop was
repeated later in the week.
The
fire eating and fire manipulation class was conducted in two segments,
with Denny Smith providing indoor instruction on the dietary
attributes of flames while Mike Vondruska and a number of assistants
gave everyone a chance to try their hand at throwing lighted torches.
Fire safety was stressed, and at one point graphically demonstrated
when a puddle of spilled gasoline caught fire. We will all remember to
keep the open flames and the open can apart after that near disaster! WEDNESDAY Warmups
for jugglers were held each day, thanks to Karen Phariss, and a loyal
number of early-risers. The need to stretch, twist, limber up the back
and legs, and accelerate the heart rate prior to practice is apparent;
but still a rarity for most jugglers.
Ken
Fuchs, president of the Unicycling Society of America, held fine
workshops on basic and advanced unicycling. We were also privileged to
have demonstration workshops by the German National Trick Unicycle
Team Champions, four wizards of the single wheel, and a spectacular
display of trick bicycle riding from Eric Verdan of France, who ranks
sixth worldwide in that art. What he did is beyond belief and defies
description.
Charles
Brown and Mr. Slim presented a well-organized and well-attended
workshop on cigar box manipulation. Todd Strong and Andrew Allen
exhausted the possibilities with one and two devil sticks, and we
expect to see them manipulate three next year! Larry Kluger presented
the diabolo.
Alan
Jacobs repeated one of the most popular of all workshops, club
swinging, which comprised half of his winning U.S. Nationals act.
Craig Barnes taught multiplex, accompanied by yours truly, who
demonstrated the art of palm rolling with anywhere from 2 to 9 pool
balls.
THURSDAY Mike
Vondruska kicked off a demonstration and participation session on club
juggling. Rich DiGiovanna awed the crowd with innumerable innovative
hat moves with up to 3 toppers, and gave everyone a chance to practice
and progress. Dan Bennett and Matt Love led a class on higher numbers
(6 and above), while the Old Professor used a method developed by
Roger Dollarhide to teach 5 ball juggling to an eager group of
intermediate jugglers. Robert Peck presented a good hour on how to put
together a routine.
A
very special workshop was conducted by Lotte Brunn, assisted by her
husband, Ted Chirrick. Lotte gave us a feeling for her life and act,
including an all-too-brief demonstration for the warmly appreciative
crowd. We hope to see her and her juggling family at future
conventions. FRIDAY
Hovey
Burgess presented a fine demonstration on the correct way to pass clubs,
and strongly urged us to use one piece American style clubs for passing,
taking advantage of the knob rather than throwing with the handle and
wrist. A group of about 30 motivated and concerned members met to talk
about the DA in general and conventions in particular.
Dr.
Steve Allen opened a discussion on the topic of juggling and health.
Participants ranged far afield, particularly stressing the effects of
juggling on educational attainment.
A
class on the beauty of 3 balls was coinstructed by Daniel Holtzman and
Robert Peck, with input by a dozen of the most outrageous 3 ball wizards
around. Andrew Allen closed the workshop by juggling so fast no one
could tell what was happening!
SATURDAY The
Oklahoma Jugglers, joined by Ruth Nager and a host of helpers, conducted
a practicum on make-up and face painting. Flip and Paul Anderson
condensed 25 years of experience into one hour on acrobatics and
physical comedy.
Vondruska
and Confidence gave a demonstration class for the general public on the
SUNY mall, and got another 50 or 60 innocent bystanders started on the 3
A
special workshop was called to initiate a new organization, Jugglers for
Peace, and the group of about 50 held a discussion of goals and means of
attaining them. The last workshop of the convention was a balloon
sculpture class by the Van Gogh of balloon animals, Lester McNeely.
What
about next year? Would you like to conduct a workshop? Let me know as
soon as possible. We hope to be able to publish a course outline for
each class, and to spell out the list of workshops well in advance.
Thanks again to all of you for having brought your expertise and your
enthusiasm to the educational process. As in the past, we'll do it even
better next year! |
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