JW-vol49no2-p43

It is safe to say that in the world of variety arts Penn & Teller are BIG. They sell out large theatres wherever they go, they host television specials, they star in their own movies. They have risen slowly and steadily from being street performers to becoming Broadway stars. The duo first met in 1974. At the time Teller was a high school Latin teacher and Penn Jillette (the tall, talkative one) was a street-performing juggler in Philadelphia. Penn had grown up in Greenfield, Mass., and began juggling with his next door neighbor, best friend and recent MacArthur grant recipient Michael Moschen. That was in 1967, when juggling was viewed much differently than it is today. Penn said, "Juggling was still a very arcane performing skill. It was something that creeps did... "

But the prevailing opinion didn't discourage Penn and Moschen, who continued practicing. They performed together for several years, doing club passing, but their individual styles developed in markedly different directions... "Penn & Teller Hate Juggling... As Much As Magic" (Juggler's World, Summer 1991)

From time to time, jugglers come up with new patterns that look interesting, and are relatively easy to do once you get the idea. But often they're hard to explain or describe. There is a way. In this article, a notation will be presented that not only simplifies the description of tricks, but also, because of its mathematical basis, permits an analysis that generates literally an infinite number of tricks... In summary, we have proposed a notation (site-swap) for juggling tricks that involve differing throw heights. It simplifies the description of these patterns. Also, if you're looking for new directions in your juggling, don't get cross at the occult! Look to the numbers instead, as the mathematical basis for this system leads to a large class of new tricks at all levels of difficulty. "A Notation for Juggling Tricks. A LOT of Juggling Tricks" (Juggler's World, Summer 1991)