DaleJones has appeared recently on the ABC show "America's Funniest People," but is even prouder of another accomplishment. Jones, who has developed some unique moves to accommodate his withered right arm, has figured out a technique for juggling six beanbags. He starts with five beanbags in his left hand and holds one on his right. He is able to juggle the six by using multiplex tosses and kicking a bag regularly with his right foot. "It sounds complicated, but it really, really works!" he said.

 

Ashrita Furman, the person holding the most records in the Guinness Book of World Records, has broken that chronicle's record for underwater juggling. Furman did three Exerballs for 57 minutes before he dropped. Furman said on the CBS show As It Happens that he's working on walking slack rope, and plans to set a new record for skipping rope on one.

 

The lJA festival in Montreal was the most international so far, not only because it is the first outside the USA - also because of the diversity of languages. English had to give way for the most part to French during pub­lic presentations, and, privately, several other languages could be heard - even Esperanto.

 

Joel Brozovsky reports that three participants from three different language communities (US/Japan, the Netherlands, and Montreal) passed along ideas and information using Esperanto, the neutral international language. One week after the IJA festival, the International Youth Convention of Esperanto (lJK) began elsewhere in Montreal. The three jugglers lead a course in juggling almost daily during the lJK, and by the end of the convention, probably a third of the convention members could juggle!

 

Following the business meeting at the 5th BritishJuggling Convention, the British Juggling Foundation was established. Its goals are "to advance the education of the public by promoting the performance art of juggling, circus arts and skills and in particular... the promotion of national and regional festivals." The BJF intends to become a registered charity, enabling it to act as a tax-free "banker" for convention surpluses, provide a pool of information and advice for convention organizers, and to guarantee accountability to convention-goers. Contact the B.J.E at  Bradford.

 

We apparently printed some incorrect results from the Games in Montreal. The winner of the obstacle course, men's division, was Justin Menzel.

 

Former lJA director Chris Majka from Halifax, N .S., achieved a certain juggling immortality as the inspiration for a scene in the science-fiction book, "Starseed," by Spider and Jeanne Robinson. The passage describes a juggler; "Christopher Micah," performing a zero­gravity floor show. Here is an excerpt: "You do not make the balls or clubs or whatever go in a circle, because they won't. Instead you make them go in a rectangle. Hand to hand to foot to foot to hand... He began in a slow motion that would simply not have been possible on Earth, then got faster and faster until the balls began to blur into an orange rectangle in the air before him. He started with four, but kept adding more from a pouch at his waist. I thought I counted as high as sixteen. .. Suddenly all the balls exploded outward from him, in a spherical distribution...  All sixteen bounced off something harmless and returned to him in almost-unison; he caught them all in his pouch, and folded at the waist in a free­fall bow. The house came down. "

 

The Australian juggling magazine, Ozjuggle, is back in business, according to co-editor David Gadsden. The last issue of Ozjuggle appeared in January of 1991, but regular publication will resume now that co­editor Kymberlyn Olsen is back on the continent. For subscription information, write PO Box 361; Northcote VIC, Australia.

 

Friends are doing what they can to help two popular jugglers in their battle against cancer. A Billy G. Healing Fund has been established to help that New York juggler pay for incidental expenses and alternative healing methods as he undergoes treatment to fight cancer in his stomach, liver and lymph nodes discovered in November. Gillen has been a prominent juggler in New York City for many years, as a leader in the New York Juggling Club and Guinness World Record Holder for five ball joggling during an entire New York Marathon. If you're interested in contributing to a trust fund for him, make checks out to William Gillen and mail them to Gamer;  Brooklyn NY.

 

Meanwhile, comedians and jugglers staged a sold-out benefit show at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis on November 30 to raise funds for Scott Burton. Burton underwent seven weeks of chemotherapy and major surgery on his left leg to treat sarcoma cancer. The benefit show was previewed in a major article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune newspaper, with several pictures of Burton, his wife, Cheryl, and their three young children. Friends from near and far attended the show, and Burton gave an emotional thanks to the crowd at its conclusion. He has been writing comedy at home during his rehabilitation, with hopes of eventually performing again.

 

Send cards of support, prayers and positive energy to Gillen at Brooklyn NY; and to Burton at Minneapolis MN.