Our interview ranged widely over a number of subjects. Here are some extracts. Ignatov began by asking about Anthony Gatto and how his juggling was progressing...

 

Ignatov: Almost anyone can make it up to eight rings, given sufficient strength, effort and determination. However, that next boundary - from eight to nine rings - requires that all components of a juggler's skill be sufficiently prepared.

 

It is an achievement comparable to the entire previous effort of going from one to eight rings. At this point all components of juggling technique must be perfected ­ proper positioning of the body; proper orientation of the hands; the correct methodology of juggling; the proper preparation, time to rehearse; good rehearsal spaces, and so on. It is the large step to genuine juggling.

 

I saw Anthony Gatto several years ago and am interested in knowing how he is getting on. I should add here that, in general, I feel that a person should only begin juggling seriously from about the age of 13. That is to say, only when the body is sufficiently strong and mature.

 

For this reason I was quite concerned when I saw him. When someone begins juggling very early this can have unexpected consequences. It can place a terrible load upon the psyche as well as the body. If a person begins training in some area of sports or gymnastics, that training leads to a gradual development. This is not so in the case of beginning to juggle early.

 

For this reason I believe that to the age of 13 or 14 one should only juggle recreationally, and only juggle four, or at the most five, balls.

 

Majka: Tell me how you began.

 

Ignatov: I began juggling quite late in life. I was 16-years-old and started with four objects. I entered circus school when I was 15. During the first year I occupied myself with all sorts of training - acrobatics, gymnastics, juggling, etc. Up until that time I lived at home, played soccer and just grew up in general. After a year at circus school and the intense regime of training there I developed problems with my legs, particularly with my knees.

 

I had actually wanted to be an acrobat, but because of the problems with my legs my teachers decided to send me along the path of juggling.

 

I was fortunate in my juggling, and in my entire life, in that I was able to find a remarkable teacher - Violeta Kiss. She is now retired as a juggler, but she used to perform together with her brother, Alexander. Later she became a teacher, and she started to work with me when I was 16. Training with her over a period of two years on proper positioning of the body, of the hands, of the shoulders, etc., we were able to accomplish a significant amount. At the end of that time I was already beginning to throw eight rings. I feel that this constituted my preliminary training.

 

After three years of working with her I was throwing nine rings from my holsters. I started working with five clubs at about that time too. Building from that base, I have continued to work and develop to this very day. I continue to change in my performing. I'm gradually introducing elements of ballet into my work, and so forth. The most important aspect of what I continue to work at is the positioning of the body, particularly the spine and the shoulders.

 

Proper body positioning is crucial for all types of juggling. When you work with balls you use one set of muscles. With rings the first set rests and you employ another group, and with clubs yet another group. But the proper functioning of all these muscle groups is dependent on a proper position of the body.

 

Working with balls has tremendous significance in improving your technique. I myself spend a great deal of time working with balls. In my regular rehearsals I spend 90 minutes progressing from one ball to five. I habitually spend two hours preparing for juggling with large numbers of objects - seven large balls, nine, ten and eleven rings, five clubs with backcrosses, and so on.

 

Majka: The seven balls that you work with are quite large. Do you use them because they are easily visible for large audiences?

 

Ignatov: Yes, they are large and have good visibility as a result. It is very difficult working with them, however, since you'll drop them if you don't catch them in precisely the right way. It's necessary to throw them in such a way that they will fall straight down into the upturned hand. For that reason the motion of the arm must also be straight up and down.

 

Majka: How many rings are you work­ing with these days?

 

Ignatov: Ten years ago when I came to North America I was throwing 11. When I returned to the Soviet Union I had a serious operation on my neck. After that I had to begin everything all over again. These days I am doing 11 in rehearsal. In performances I generally do nine, although not long ago I did a performance with ten.

Here I plan to do ten. We just set up the lights and I still haven't been able to get used to them. In general it is difficult to work in the conditions here. In the circus in the Soviet Union we work in special buildings which have uniform lighting throughout. The conditions are better suited to juggling there. In any event, after several more performances, when I get used to the conditions, I hope to try performing with ten.

 

Majka: Do you find that working with even numbers, like ten, is quite different from working with odd numbers like nine or eleven?

 

Ignatov: It is important, of course, to work with both even and odd numbers of objects. What I would like to say is this: if you are juggling with odd numbers of objects you should start throwing from out of the right hand. Everything is dependent on the beginning. You have to stand in proper alignment; legs, knees, back, and shoulders all in proper position and then begin throwing.

 

With even numbers of objects there is an entirely different relation of the throw to the tempo. For that reason it is important to begin these patterns with the left hand. This is a good system for separating these different tempos of throwing.