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But the unicycle riding damaged his knees and the dangerous trick resulted in a few spills, so he began to scale it back. He was still standing on the slack wire with a portable rigging when he performed with the Harlem Globetrotters in 1970, but dropped the rigging to kick up his cups from the solid stage as he began working cruise ships, where the rigging was impractical. Still, audiences liked his cup and saucer trick so much that it became the rage with other jugglers for severa] years in the 1950s. "It seemed like everyone was doing it for a while there," Tasso said, "even dogs and monkeys! But now I'm the only one still at it."

Now he does just fourcups, five saucers and the teapot on top.

He and Uncle Knox established a home in Sarasota , Fla. , in 1952, and Tasso still lives there with his wife, Irene, whom he married in 1970. He appeared on many national television shows in the 1950s and 1960s, including the Bob Hope, Jackie Gleason and Ed Sullivan shows.

He worked in Shrine Circuses and in Las Vegas . Finally, it was the Crazy Horse, where since 1980 his six-month contract has been renewed every year by the director Alain Bernardin. During the off months, he has worked on cruise ships in the Caribbean .

He admits to slowing down a bit these days, and was happy to take a job from

January through April doing a family show at Busch Gardens , which was commuting distance from his home. "Home every night, and a day off every week around the house, it was great!" he said.

He returns to Paris and the Crazy Horse for July, August and September, then to Germany in October for the first extended engagement in his native country since he left with Uncle Knox 40 years ago. He will be appearing during October at the Summer Theatre in Stuttgart , and is a little nervous about it. "German is my native language, but I'll probably be speaking with an English accent. My English isn't getting any better, and my German is getting worse!" he said.

(Bruno Quintero is a computer programmer and organizer of the group, "Institut Galactique de Jonglistique Appliquee, " in Paris . Editor Bill Giduz also contributed to this article.)

THE JUGGLER

Posturing one-legged on a slack wire,

He is no illusionist (nor I a liar)

When his free foot tosses in sequence up,

To be caught confidently by the joggled head,

Saucer, cup,

saucer, cup,

Each to fall fair and square on its mounting bed.

Wonder enough? Or not?

Not:

for a teapot

Floats up to crown them; item, following soon,

Supererogatory lump-sugar, and spoon.

Thus the possible is transcended

By a prankster's pride in true juggling.

Twice daily for weeks at Ringling's ring,

Until the seasonal circuit's ended

An act one degree only less absurd

Than mine: of slipperily balancing

Word

upon word

upon word,

Each wanton as an eel, daft as a bird.

(This unusual bit of poetry, reprinted through courtesy of The Saturday Review, was penned by Robert Graves in 1952 after seeing Dieter Tasso perform in the Ringling Circus. )