Page 24 June 1984
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The
IJA EYE on New York By
Gene Jones, IJA Director New York, New York
REPORTS
OF JUGGLING ACTIVITY abound in the Big Apple. A warm welcome home to
Bette Larusso and partner David Tabatsky, who recently returned
after a series of cruise ship engagements. Also returning to New
York after a whirlwind world tour were Bob Berky, Fred
"Garbo" Garver, and Michael Moschen of the group Foolsfire.
They rehearsed in New York until May 5, when another tour "took
them to New Jersey, South Carolina, and Washington, D.C.
IJA
member Frank Olivier was sighted in New York during March as he
enjoyed some time off from performing in the touring company of
"Sugar Babies." He
Long-time
IJA member John Grimaldi reports that his weekly juggling workshops
in Bryant Park will resume on Wednesdays from 12-3 p.m. May 16
through October. Grimaldi is currently appearing in the No Elephant
Circus production "From Soup to Nuts."
Local
juggling sensations The Flying Mozarella Sisters, Sophie Schwabb and
Missy Whitechurch have been performing at the Cherry Lane Theatre,
veterans hospitals, and numerous private parties. They're also
rehearsing for an upcoming engagement with The Flying Karamazov
Brothers at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago June 1-8. They will then
perform at the LA Olympics before returning to
The
Sisters repertoire includes machete juggling while reciting
Shakespeare, club and torch passing, baton twirling, comedy, and
dance.
Tony
Duncan and Steve Bernard teach juggling-related skills in their Soho
loft. Duncan performed weekends in March and April at the Greenwich
Village nightclub "Mostly Magic." He and Bernard teamed up
for a one-night appearance at the Panache Disco as well. They plan a
summer tour of Europe, beginning in Copenhagen and working their way
to southern Italy.
If
Every Fool Inc., producers of the 1983 Clown and Theatre Festival,
produced "Clown shorts" at the Westbeth Theatre in March. It
featured the juggling of Chris Wangro and the club-swinging (with
ribbons!) of Susan Avino. Juggling acts are encouraged to apply for
consideration in the next clown festival, which is scheduled for
November.
Superstar
juggler Francis Brunn continues to make the Big Apple his home,
rehearsing daily at the Big Apple Circus headquarters with assistant
Natalie Enterline. She won awards and accolades in Paris recently for
her phenomenal hat and cane routine. Brunn has recently thrilled
audiences at the Grossingers and Concord hotels.
MIGRATIONS:
The Big Apple bids a fond farewell to juggler/magician/vocalist R.J.
Lewis, who officially relocated to Atlantic City this February.
Another farewell to jugglers Rick Davis and
Rumor
has it that Dick Franco will soon return to the Big Apple for an
extended engagement at Cafe Versailles. Meanwhile, local
juggler/magician David Charne performed at a host of private parties
in the New York area. Liz Bolick appeared at the Hampshire House in
January for a millionaire's banquet, while IJA member Nguyen Phuc
continues to be a popular act in the active street scene at Washington
Square Park. Also frequenting the Square are jugglers John Lynch and
William Lee, both of whom are alumni of the Stuyvesant High School
Juggling Club.
The
Bond Street Theatre Coalition is now featuring jugglers Steve
Ringold, Mary Dino, Patrick Sciarratta, and Mike McGuigan. Bond
Street will run workshops from July 1 to September 1 in
On
the business front, Brian Dube reports that sales of juggling
equipment are up from 1983. He has recently purchased the rights to
Ken Benge's "The Art of Juggling," and plans to reissue it
with revised artwork soon. He also plans to issue two catalogues of
his equipment annually beginning this summer.
Springtime
in the Big Apple is a fantastic time for street performing, and the
spotlight will soon focus on South Street Seaport, which is
beginning to resemble Pier 39 in San Francisco. The situation at
South Street is said to be profitable and quite organized. Jugglers
planning a journey to the Big Apple should call the Seaport in
advance to acquire necessary information regarding licenses.
Have
you got juggling news? Drop a Eye
on New York |
The
self-proclaimed first man to juggle in Antarctica, Craig Turner of
Seattle, Washington, Is shown here playing to an unimpressed crowd of
several thousand Rockhopper penguins and black-browed albatrosses In the
Falkland Islands In 1982. The audience's restrained reaction Is perhaps
due to their close resemblance to the Flying Penguinls he Is manipulatlngl -Ginny Turner, Seattle |