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Haim got tips on transitions between four club patterns, and on learning five clubs. I was doing five balls when Kiss started watching me. Through Dave Hosford, our translator, she told me to move the whole pattern to the left, and lean more to the right. My right shoulder had to go back, and my right arm throw further across my body. When I didn't do what she wanted, she appeared behind me and moved my arms in mid-juggle.

Within on hour our clinic was over, and Kiss gave us some final tips: in practice, make a progression / building up in numbers; something should be accomplished every day; make sure the juggling pattern is right in front of your nose, and symmetrical; be aware not only of the pattern but of body posture and appearance. She accepted our most sincere thanks and we left.

We left Moscow altogether, traveling northeast to Yaroslavl to perform. The circus building there (one of 70 nationwide) seated 1,600. Billed as the SovietAmerican Youth Circus, we played to two full houses. Anokhin and Ivanov had solo acts, and we did our joint number. Other Soviet solo acts included Luda Nikolaeva's foot juggling and Natasha Avgustova's contortions. Little Ira Boordetskaya (10) did a hula hoop act to the USSR's favorite lambada song, and some incredible acrobatics with her father and his partner. After the second show the director of the Yaroslavl circus presented us with certificates and souvenirs.

A few hours after returning to Moscow we boarded a train for a 36-hour ride to Anapa, a Black Sea resort town. During the first night, Haims and I started joking with one of the Soviet girls - Katya

Ignatova, Sergei Ignatov's 12-year-old daughter. She was a delight. Her specialty was hula hoops, but with her three pink juggling balls she did hilarious impersonations of Michael Moschen, Kris Kremo and her father, laughing all the time.

Two days later we performed for 8,000 people in the opening ceremonies of Anapa's first international children's performance festival. It was an amazing evening, with music, dancing, fireworks and short previews of the acts to be presented by the children's groups.

The acts were presented in competition, and ours featured mainly the Soviets in our group. But we

also did our joint juggling, and added a little flair Barnen with Lippe's fire rings, Haim with a flaming

devil stick, me with torches, and torch passing between me and Haim.

An abundance of awards was presented at the festival's dosing ceremonies and our circus acquired a few. Mermin and Alia Yudin a (the head of the Soviet group) were honored as artistic directors. Ivanov and I both received juggling awards, and three others got individual awards.

We flew back to Moscow three days later without our Soviet friends. Although some we would not see again, most joined us in the USA in August for a successful two-week tour of Vermont and Massachusetts. Our juggling act for this, and the regular Smirkus tour preceding it, was inspired by the plate juggling and club passing we had seen in Moscow.

Back in the stales, our troupe diminished as the bus ride from New York to Vermont progressed. I was the last off. The return to the usual was sudden, the memories numerous, the sense of loss acute. I started juggling the next day.