Chairman's Report

by Perry Rubenfeld,  IJA Chairman of the Board

 

First of all, I want to explain the absence of my report last issue. The floods that hit Fargo last summer also hit my home city of Winnipeg,  just four hours north. The deluge destroyed our basement, office and most files and the recovery kept me busy for several months. Now, however, as real life slowly resumes, the reports will once again continue.

 

The Fargo Festival was a great time for those who attended. Ginny Rose and her great staff of volunteers made sure things ran smoothly for everyone. My thanks to Ginny and her helpers for their untiring work throughout the year to make each festival succeed.

 

Financially, the Fargo Festival made money. That fact, plus business practices that have reduced costs, increased revenue and made us a much more efficient and accountable organization, have steadily returned the IJA to a much stronger financial position. Tough business decisions will still have to be made to ensure continued success, but having a board of directors that remains mostly unchanged from one year to the next allows things to move along faster, smoother and more efficiently. I want to thank the board for their continuing work for the IJA.

 

The restructuring of our business practices put into place by Chief Administrative Officer Norman Schneiderman in the past two years has paid off many times over. I also want to thank Richard Dingman for the superb job he has done in the past year as secretary/treasurer. Few people know just how vital he has been.

 

A tremendous amount of work is also done by Juggler's World editor Bill Giduz. Bill was the obvious choice to receive the Extraordinary Service Award presented to him at the festival. My congratulations to him, and thanks for all he does for the IJA.

 

Now here are some highlights from the most recent Board of Directors Conference call, held November 3, 1993...

 

Discussions took place on having a "street festival" as part of the annual festival or as a separate festival. Discussions will continue next meeting.

 

A separate account has been created for all monies collected from the IJA auction. This money has been earmarked for the IJA archives.

 

After a discussion on video sales and production, it was decided to allow the video director to make changes as he sees fit in order to make IJA videos more marketable.

 

A 1994 Roster will be published in February. The format will be slightly different than in the past, including more information for members.

 

A lengthy discussion took place regarding replacing championships with a "Talent Showcase." No formal decision was made.

 

Discussion was held on possible awards to be presented at the Burlington festival. A report to the board will follow in January.

 

CAO Reports Solid Financial Position

by Norman Schneidennan, IJA Chief Administrative Officer

 

Thanks to careful planning and diligent execution by our never-tiring staff and volunteers, IJA business is running smoothly. Fargo produced a healthy profit of $25,244, despite low numbers. The magazine is being published, the 1994 Roster is in production, membership numbers are in excess of 3,000, the phone is being answered, bills are being paid, merchandise is being shipped, the Life Member Fund has been increased to $65,644.14, etc....

 

I am willing and eager to hear from members and answer any questions you may have. Please write to me at Halifax, NS, Canada. I'm looking forward to seeing you all in Burlington, it's going to be great!

 

Financial Statement as of October 31, 1993

(summarized - see magazine for details)

Total Income - $191,262

Total Expenses - $171,033

NET PROFIT - $20,207

 

Cash - $33,278

Life Member Fund - $65,644

Total Fixed Assets - $8,253

Inventory - $8,253

 

Total Assets - $128,530

 

 

Kapell KO'd, Prize Money Up for Championships

Start preparing now for the IJA championship juggling competitions in Burlington. Medal winners in Juniors, Seniors and Teams competitions will share $5,000 in cash, plus additional prizes. The Kapell system will not be used. Instead, judging will be based on the ordinal system of awarding a gold, silver and bronze medal to the top three jugglers in each event. The IJA champion, winner of the Seniors event, will also be presented with the IJA Championship Trophy.

 

New championships director Dan Holzman promises that the competitions will be professionally produced evenings of entertainment. Holzman will be assisted by Martin Frost in the numbers events, and by Larry Kluger, Laura Green and Mike Hout in joggling. For more information, contact Holzman. Questions and suggestions regarding rules should be directed to Arthur Lewbel.

 

Avner Signs On For Burlington Festival

Ginny Rose, IJA festival organizer, has announced that Avner the Eccentric, a New England-based New Vaudeville performer, will perform and teach a workshop at the IJA festival this summer in Burlington. He will help headline the Cascade of Stars show and will give a special workshop on Friday of festival week.

 

Watch the Spring issue of the magazine for information on other festival guests and information!

 

Europeans Choose German Site for 1994 Convention

And the winner is... Hagen , Germany!

 

After departing from the 1993 European convention in Leeds, England, without receiving a solid proposal for a 1994 site, the leadership of the European Jugglers Association was left to choose from three proposals submitted later. Board members ended up choosing Hagen over Lisbon, Portugal, and Gottenborg, Sweden.

 

Lee Hayes, a member of the board, explained that Hagen was chosen because it is easily accessible, and said that the jugglers of Hagen were the only candidates with backing from the local city council and a solid proposal detailing locations and schedule.

 

Hayes said Lisbon was eliminated because there was not a group of local jugglers to take responsibility for arrangements, and Gottenborg's group was not able to put together a solid proposal by the deadline.

 

The 1994 festival will also be held earlier than in the past - August 2-7. Hayes said the date was chosen to make it more attractive to students and families, while admitting that it may be less attractive to professional performers.

 

For more information on the 1994 European festival, contact Lee Hayes; Amsterdam, Netherlands.