"We utilized the best of vaudeville, theatre, American jazz and. modern dance and the 'slap schtick' of silent screen comedy," Snider explains. "No live animals locked up in cages and dragged around the country, but plenty of the two-legged variety that, in costume, could transform into happy hippos, prancing ponies and dancing gorillas. We even had a band whose members wrote original music for the acts. And of course, everyone had to learn to juggle. "

 

If clowning is the heart of this circus, then juggling is it's soul. Everyone juggles at some point in the show, from the box office manager to a couple of people in the band. Last year's grand finale saw 14 jugglers in the ring at once. Newcomers are taught to juggle and then brought into the show. At the beginning of any season those with few juggling skills mess up gloriously; by season's end most are pretty spectacular.

 

"Everything in the juggling routines is practiced a million times," Snider states emphatically. "Accuracy is everything. It gives you time to correct without missing a beat. The responsibility for the pass is with the passer. The catcher should not have to pull down any lousy thing thrown their way. They should be ready to correct, if possible. Watching a person's face while throwing helps keep you focused. After so many years of working with the same people it's astounding what you can tell from their eyes."

 

Like terror, for instance, if one remembers the face of the guy "volunteered" by friends to stand between Snider and Wendy Parkman, clubs whizzing by his face. He chomped down determinedly on the base of a carrot while large chunks of its length vanished with each pass.

 

Juggle breaks for Pickles are like coffee breaks for the rest of society. A way to let off steam, loosen up muscles, and relate to your fellow man. Like the office water cooler, the studio space always had people gathered, practicing a juggle, giving pointers, helping out. Solo juggling was never the thing.

 

Snider praised the level of juggling in the show now. She said, "Juggling in general has changed over the past decade. To con­sider the type of talent we have now compared to when I got in to it is remarkable. People are learning at a much younger age, and more people are learning. We pick the cream of the crop for our show, and the crop is much larger now!"