Teaneck, N.J., IJA member Jimmy Rana recently trained and performed at the National Theatre Institute in London. Since returning, he's been teaching juggling at "Ye Olde Cambridge Jesters Academy" at the New York Renaissance Faire. He is also performing as a juggler and variety performer for Jon Koons Productions.

 

J. Peter Loftus of New York City has beat his trouble with the law for juggling on subway platforms, and has recently been the "juggle-double" for tennis sensation Pete Sampras. Loftus bounce juggled balls off a tennis racket as part of an NBC Sports promotion of Sampras and the US Open tournament. He also had a scheduled performance for Donald Trump late in the summer. Loftus adds, "Please know that I am demanding high fees for performances, not only for myself, but for other jugglers. The world needs to know that our skills are worth money."

 

Roland Weise of Berlin this fall is opening an International Artiste's Museum, the first of its kind in Europe.

 

Notes on jugglers here and there... Trio Hamid juggling with the Murat Shrine Circus in Indianapolis... T.J. Howell performed in the Kissimmee-St. Cloud Jaycee's Circus... Bucky, Steve Jenzac and Rudy filling three rings with juggling for Roberts Brothers Circus... Earl Shatford and his cousin, Martin, are performing with Carnival Cruise Lines... Jose Torres doing flaming diabolo with the Royal American circus... Atsuko Koga appeared on the Statler Brothers TV show in April doing her devil stick routine, as well as spinning a ball, wooden block, and coin on a single and then triple parasol... Jugglers in Cirque Eloize include Alain Boudreau, Damien Boudreau, Robert Bourgeois, Daniel Cyr and Sylvian Drolet... Jian Wen Qian and Rong Qian juggle with the Culpepper Circus... The Langs appeared with The Wallenda Circus... Rejean St. Jules is appearing at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas... Miss Miriam juggled clubs, hoops, hats and ping pong balls with the Picadilly Circus... Justino juggles and spins fires atop his helmeted head in the Carden Circus... Victor Ponce juggles in "Funderful," a musical variety show at Resorts Casino in Atlantic City...

 

Atsuko Koga appeared on the Statler Brothers Show last spring... The Tivoli Theatre in Copenhagen included juggling acts by Arturo Alegria and Claudius... Frank Galambos Jr. juggles with the Royal Palace Circus... The Valencias include hat juggling in their act with the Famous Cole Indoor Circus... Alan Howard juggles in the "Phantasy" show at the Horizon Casino in Lake Tahoe... Octavio Alegria juggled at the Circus World Museum's Big Top Circus in Baraboo this summer... Ben Landa and Dolce Vital juggle with the Kelly Miller Circus... The Gauchos juggle with the Famous Cole Circus... Fudi and Suzanne Fudini spin plates with Circus Vargas, while Giovanni and Glydes Asastasini juggle with "spinners on a string"... Kris Kremo and his father, Bela, are featured in issue 10 of the European magazine, "Le Monde du Cirque"... On the May 23 edition of the daytime drama, "All My Children," character Tad Martin juggled three tomatoes quite well as part of a cooking segment of a show-within-a-show called "The Cutting Edge"... The Aug. 1 edition of the syndicated column "Ripley's ... Believe It or Not" carried an item saying, "19th century magician Jean­ Eugene Robert-Houdin regularly juggled four balls while reading a book!" ...

 

The Dew Drop Jugglers performed on weekends and Labor Day at The Minnesota Renaissance Festival August 16 through September 28... The Passing Zone appeared on "The Today Show" on NBC July 30, passing sickles around Al Roker and advertising the big 50th IJA Festival. They were also on "Home Team" starring Terry Bradshaw on Fox on September 26, and "Talk Soup" on E! recapping the Home Team appearance...

 

This year's annual Davidson College Freshman Juggling Poll produced numbers consistent with those gathered during the previous six years. Juggler's World editor Bill Giduz has conducted a face-to-face survey of incoming students at the college where he works since 1991 to compile records of how many can do at least a few tosses of a three ball cascade. In the Class of 2001,43% of 204 male students can juggle, and 12% of the 205 female students polled can juggle. The overall total for the entire class is 28% jugglers, which ­though slightly lower than last year - is consistent with a general upward trend over the course of the survey. Here is a summary of the results to date: Men: (1991- 43%,1996­42%,1995 - 33%,1994 - 33%, 1993 - 29%, 1992 - 32%,1991 - 27%). Women: (1997 ­12%,1996 - 21%,1995 - 11%, 1994 - 8.3%, 1993 - 7.7%,1992 - 9%,1991 - 9%). Overall: (1997 - 28%,1996 - 30%,1995 - 22%,1994­20.7%,1993- 20%,1992 - 21%,1991 - 18%). Giduz invites others to conduct surveys of groups to compile more accurate figures on juggling ability in the general population.

 

Harvard University sophomore Jason Friedenfelds organized the Harvard Juggling Club's "1,000 Balls" event last May as part of Harvard's Arts First Weekend. A half-dozen jugglers marched in the morning parade, then prepared for their big event in front of the university Science Center. At 1:30 p.m., 1,000 oranges flew into the air as several hundred people joined together in the largest mass juggling event in Harvard history. Harvard Dining Services donated the oranges and the Harvard Coop donated a dollar to a local charity for every orange juggled.