Page 6 Spring 1987
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A
moving experience I
was the guest lecturer for the Kiwanis International here in Taipei,
Taiwan, speaking about juggling as a stress reduction sport for
business executives. Got written up in the paper and "everythang,"
by God! Very successful! About 25 Chinese businessmen and a few
Westerners were there. Low ceiling, poor light, excellent show!
There
was a 5.7 earthquake just when I was about to throw up my first
ball. The audience was suddenly very talkative and excited. I was
puzzled, for since I was standing and moving and thinking I didn't
feel a thing! "What's so funny?" I asked. "We just
had an earthquake," someone said. I thought they were joking!
But later I had a real surprise when the paper reported it. I guess
you could say my show really moved the audience! Laura
Green Bubu
for president We
joined the German "wahlkampf' this year on the platform of
electing the famous balancing circus chimp, Bubu, chancellor of West
Germany for the next four years. Because the weather was
15-below-zero, Bubu didn't make it this time. But as he told us later,
there is always hope for the 1991 campaign! Fritz
Brehm & Franz Johann Check
the facts I
had to write to correct a couple of errors in the Fall issue. You
should be more careful to check facts when talking about
"records." You state that Mary
Wisser holds the record for the most IJA conventions attended in a
row. I attended every one from 1968 through 1983, which makes 16 in a
row, and Stu Raynolds may have even more than that! Other than that,
I'm looking forward to coming to convention again this summer in
Akron. Roger
Dollarhide
Overcoming
a bad rap In
the eight years that I have been enjoying a career as a variety
performer, I have been many places and performed for hundreds of
thousands of people. The comment is too often heard - "You told us
you were a juggler, but we didn't expect you to be good!"
What's
going on here, folks?
Recently
I was booked on a trans-Atlantic cruise. When I boarded in Rome, the
cruise director asked what sort of an act I do. I told him it was comedy
juggling. He told me, "Don't expect to be very well received. We've
had jugglers here before, and they haven't gone down well." I later
learned that previous acts had been put off in ports before the end of
their contracts. I was starting with a disadvantage - the reputation of
previous jugglers.
Fortunately,
I was very well received, and invited to stay aboard for the next three
months. But I'm continually running into similar situations. Why?
If
you are a performing juggler, please be a professional. Do your job
well. Satisfy your audience and your employer. Take pride in your craft.
Above all, don't be boring. If we can increase our professionalism, we
can increase our bookings and our paychecks!
Anthony
Gatto, Dana Tison, Ken Falk, David Lucas, David Deeble and Robbie
Weinstein. These are just some of the many good young jugglers who have
popped up in the past few years. Ten years ago, only a handful of
jugglers of any age were doing five clubs. At recent conventions, you
could find at least 15 junior jugglers doing it.
I
think that there are enough serious young jugglers to hold a Juniors
Forum at the annual conventions. The IJA could also consider giving
youth a page in Juggler's World. How many of you out there share
my feelings? Scott
Cain Middletown, O Don't
try it As
suggested in the Winter issue, I tried out
fingernail polish remover to clean my clubs. I personally found that
it removed no visible dirt or grime - and I tried two |