Movies and championships

I enjoyed the latest edition of "Juggler's World" very much. Having read the section on the Karamazov Brothers in "Jewel of the Nile," I went to see how the Brothers came across on celluloid. I had expected the storyline to be a lot of romantic rubbish, but I hadn't expected there to be so little of interest to juggling fans, and that was the annoying thing.

It seemed to me that the Karamazovs were treated by director and cutter just like any old extras, who might just as well not have been juggling. It raised the question for me as to whether juggling acts do themselves any good by working for a medium - the Hollywood movie - that is totally insensitive to their art. The positive effect of increased exposure to the film going public seems to me to be more than offset by the negative effect of having your routine subsumed to the bombastic aesthetic of big-screen action cinema.

Concerning the recent IJA "Bulletin" report on the lJA winter meeting... What struck me was the frequency of references to awards, championships, competitions, titles and the like. Of course I'm in no position to say whether these will help promote the IJA in the U.S., but I believe it's of no use at all as far as promotion in Europe is concerned.

We are simply not very interested in who bears the official title "greatest this, that or the other. " I would maintain that European jugglers are prouder and more pleased with their plastic Viking helmets for winning the ice-cube juggling in Copenhagen, or indeed with their ginger­bread heart prizes, than they would be if they won a flash trophy or a gold ring. I suppose we are simply allergic to being categorized and classified.

Indeed, the few North American subscribers who have made critical comparisons with the IJA and "Kaskade" have said they object to the IJA's tendency to do just this.

The Grand Slam Award is fine for people like Albert Lucas, or at least people who aspire to be like him, but how many jugglers fit into that category? And what effect does this kind of hero-worship and legend-building have on the rest of us?

Thanks for the memories!

This is a little note to the juggling world. My fiancé and I were very inspired by the Atlanta convention last summer. At that time we were 2/3 of The All American Mini Circus. The inspiration of the convention led us to believe that we could make it on our own. Now Mardene Rubio and I combine our juggling, unicycling, dance, acrobatics and humor in a fast­paced show of togetherness called "Variety In Motion. " Thanks for a great convention, IJA!

Charity juggling pays off

A few years ago I read about Sativa, a group in California that performs folk song concerts at nursing homes. I decided that if they could do it with singing, I could do it with juggling. There's no money in it, but I'm amply rewarded in other ways for my time.

I visited Champaign County Nursing Home recently and performed an especially successful gig. By arriving a half-hour early, I got to introduce myself by pushing some of the residents to the auditorium in their wheelchairs. It was a spacious, bright, airy room with a high ceiling, and

I even had accompaniment from a pianist. Live music adds zing to any performance!

No specific set routine was necessary. In fact, my spontaneity gave this audience a better show because I could tune in to what they wanted. One trick that worked well in this low pressure situation was juggling three nursing home volunteers ­simple when done on a horizontal plane!

After finishing the performance, I left the stage and talked with the audience, showing them my props and playing catch with those who were able. A little bit of one-on-one really enhanced the show.

I left feeling great, with an invitation to return any time. I recommend the experience to anyone who wants to polish their performance skills. By showing what talent you have, you can do so much for shut-in populations and get good ex­perience to boot!