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Holzman plans a life-long commitment to juggling, and is gearing his act to that plan. "I hope to juggle until I'm 50 or 60 and keep improving," he said. "That's why I practice the gentleman juggler style on my own. It's not as physically demanding as more technical juggling. I can practice for hours without really breaking a sweat. It's adaptable to almost any stage and it's saleable because people can relate to the props - they are hats, canes and everyday items."

Friedman lets Holzman steer the Raspyni ship of success. "Without

him as the driving force we'd be doing more birthday parties and fewer opening acts," Friedman said.

The less driven brother is no less capable a juggler, but finds his interests divided between juggling, his new wife, Ann Keeling, and his hobbies of electronics and flying. He doesn't doubt that one day Holzman will get a solo act together and go off on his own. But for the moment Friedman, too, wants to play out the success as far as the Raspynis can take it though not always for the same reason as Holzman. "I love traveling because everywhere I go I get to rent planes and fly!" he said.

The whole thing seems more like a dream to Friedman than a career. He said, "I look at our resume and see our name associated with big stars and wonder if it's really us."

In February they performed in a Los Angeles benefit show with comedians Chevy Chase , Martin Short, Steve Martin and Dan Akroyd. But aside from the one-night show with the president, Friedman says touring with comedian Robin Williams was a career highlight. Friedman said, "He's the most secure performer I know. He also attracts an ultimate crowd and we benefit a lot from that exposure. "

The act is structured to take advantage of Holzman's memorable voice and Friedman's technical skill. Friedman describes the act as "a sitcom with props." The tricks are set up with Holzman's slow, understated, deep-pitched voice. He mocks the part of a suave, sophisticated performer and lets Friedman showcase the more difficult tricks, such as doing three ping-pong balls with his mouth and four club juggling, head rolls and a five ball routine.

"People expect jugglers to do hokey comedy and visual puns, but we try to keep the comedy hip," explained Holzman. "It's more off the wall, train of thought stuff that comes off as spontaneous, though it isn't very often."

For example, Friedman washes off his ping pong balls in a small bowl before putting them in his mouth and Holzman says, "That's right Barry, wash them off in that bowl of saliva!" In the next moment, Friedman picks one up off the floor and puts it in his mouth without washing it. Holzman says, "See that folks, he picked it right up off floor and put it right in his mouth, what a trooper!"

They get comedy mileage in their kickup of a seventh club into the six club pattern by wondering how they will make the pickup. It lies at Holzman's feet, and he asks, "What do you want me to do with it?" Then he kicks it across the floor to his partner and says, "Ooh wait, Barry, it's on your side now!"

Holzman said he tries to maintain a braggadocio attitude without letting it appear as arrogance. "I try to make it fun. I brag about my 'grip of steel' and 'panther-like reflexes,' and get people laughing at my slightly absurd characterization."

With Holzman doing most of the talking on stage and Friedman taking on more of the technical tricks, the audience gets a mistaken impression of their relative juggling abilities. In reality, they are both excellent jugglers with different specialties.

They can pass 10 rings and 10 clubs, but do only up to 8 clubs in their shows. Holzman doesn't show his three ball expertise or gentleman juggling skills with ban, cane and hat in the Raspyni show either.

Their juggling heroes are people who sell their juggling to the audience, people like Kris Kremo and Airjazz who get the audience excited about the characters on stage as well as the juggling they perform.

The Raspynis have competed in IJA Team Championships at every convention since Purchase, N. Y., in 1983. They won in 1984 and 1988, and have finished in the top three every time. Until this year, though, their competition routine was not at all like the routine with which they earned their daily bread. "We always choreographed a competition routine to music as a challenge," said Holzman. "But this year it was more fun because we did the thing we perform every day."

The championship judges liked it as well. The routine in Denver included: opening synchronized club routine to music with Holzman three club solo and Friedman four club solo, a leapfrog with sickles, five clubs and a ball, bouncing the ball back and forth from head to head, six clubs passing with a new chop pattern that used no self throws. Each man passed a chop each throw with each hand!

They finished by positioning volunteer Larry Merlo astride a mini-trampoline and bouncing bowling bans back and forth to each other between Merlo's legs.

Their devotion to the IJA has been demonstrated in other ways as well. Besides freeing up their schedules to attend conventions, Holzman has served a term as IJA director and was producer of the Public Show in Denver. His careful planning and insistence on a balanced, professional lineup created possibly the best such extravaganza ever.