48-1,p44

REVIEWS

BOOKS

This is a pleasant introduction to club juggling, covering more ground than you might expect from the title and generally doing so quite successfully. Dawson's writing is direct, friendly and occasionally playful. (He tends to run sentences together with commas, though, so the reading is sometimes awkward for those of us used to semicolons, colons or dashes.)

Before any juggling instruction, Dawson begins with a good section on practice in general: warming up, attitude and technique. He brings up some points about relaxation, posture and accuracy that a lot of people don't think about (e.g., weight distribution in the feet).

He then offers a friendly guide to juggling clubs, progressing from one to three, bringing up important issues about proper club throws. He does not suggest juggling two balls with one club as a learning step, but does recommend two clubs and one ball in case three clubs is too difficult initially.

Dawson is encouraging. He advocates frequent, light-hearted and fun practice, with no inhibitions ("if you want to try nine balls then do it!"). He covers different kinds of throws (floaters, flats, reverses) and how to handle multiple spins. Here and throughout the book, vital tips from the text are printed in bold in the margins, serving as good reminders.

Using under-the-leg throws as an example, Dawson gives general methods and tips for learning individual tricks. Again his emphasis is on trying different things. The bulk of the book is a straightforward guide to a wide range of club tricks. He divides them into placement tricks, body throws, head tricks, cascade tricks, balancing tricks, spins and flourishes, kick-ups, two in one hand tricks, starts and finishes, and miscellaneous tricks.

Nearly everything is clearly explained. Good, simple figure drawings accompany the text, showing tricks from various angles (top, side, etc.). Arrows show the paths of the clubs. Sometimes Dawson uses ladder notation to illustrate a point about timing. The book has an appendix on these ladders, which brings up interesting issues of how delayed throws or different rhythms are revealed in the diagrams, but the exposition is sometimes sloppy and imprecise.

Dawson also includes an appendix on some standard three-ball tricks, in case the reader is unfamiliar with them. The description of Mill's Mess is, predictably, very confusing (indeed, he cautions that it is "best to learn this type of trick from another juggler"), and here the drawings and arrows are not always clear.

Another appendix covers object balancing. It gives good basic instruction, but doesn't mention how to learn to balance while juggling (even the simple point of giving the balance priority over the juggle would be useful here).

There is an informative section on different styles of clubs (though no mention of the home-made option), how to choose between them, and how to care for and repair them. This is clearly aimed at the totally uninitiated club juggler. Also to aid the inexperienced, Dawson explains the basics of juggling fire, with precautions and a checklist of what to bring with you when using torches in a performance.

This nod to the needs of a performer is consistent throughout the book, in fact. Dawson makes periodic references to which tricks or combinations audiences enjoy, or how to make a trick more visible and impressive in a show.

Take 3 Clubs lives up to its subtitle, "a guide to club juggling," though perhaps it should be expanded to say "a beginner's guide..." Experienced jugglers will find little (though undoubtedly some) of great instructional value here. But it has enough guidance and good ideas to make a great present for a novice club juggler.

Reviewed by Toby Ayer

VIDEOS

Just Juggle. by Dan Kirk featuring Micheal Price. Midwest Juggling Company; Menasha WI. $19 (no shipping charge until September 1).

Dan Kirk has spent several years performing and teaching as "The Juggler With The Yellow Shoes." Now he's taken both those skills and put them on a video tape available from his own company.

Just Juggle begins, as many other teaching tapes, with scarf juggling. Dan teaches this skill, shows several beginning students, then performs a short routine with the scarves.

Next, Dan moves to basic three ball. Again he teaches the skill and shows a group of beginners. Several three ball tricks are shown in isolation. Unfortunately no slow motion is used here. A narrator quickly describes the task of breaking tricks down and putting them back together into a routine. The section closes with short three ball routines by Dan and by Mike Price, and some unusual shots of Dan juggling on playground equipment and a pogo stick.

This tape shows two accomplished jugglers doing some of their finest and silliest work. It also shows a variety of beginners, allowing students to see others working at similar level.

The tape progresses quickly through four, five and six balls. While it's doubtful that anyone would depend on a video to learn these advanced skills; Dan and Mike do a fine job of demonstrating what can be done. At seven balls Dan doesn't even try. He wisely passes the torch (pun intended) back to Mike Price. Mike again shows himself to be an exceptional technician.

Dan then teaches beginning three ring juggling, and a brief section showing clubs. Each includes basic instructions followed by a short demonstration of the skill. The tape closes with the usual credits run over a series of great outtakes. This again shows the beginner that even the best jugglers are fallible. And it shows that the best jugglers have a lot of fun even when everything goes wrong!

The production values of the video are more than adequate. The camera work is very steady and clear. There are no odd angles, bizzare blends or camera tilting for the sake of "art." Every shot is clean and crisp, as is the sound.

Dan presents his strong Christian values throughout the tape, including several Biblical references to juggling. This is not, however, the main thrust of the tape. Dan has done a fine job of teaching beginning juggling and showing the range of possibilities with the art. This tape would be a good addition to any juggler's library.

Reviewed by Dusty Galbraith