Page 30 Fall 1997
Competitors
in Individuals
Blend Tradition and Invention by
Jerry Martin
August
5, 1997: What a splendid summer evening! After a lovely
Whetting
everyone's appetite with a tasty array of Juniors and Teams juggling
talent, emcees ("master chefs?") Jon Wee and Owen Morse
served up the main course: the "Nationals"... the
"Seniors"... (fanfare, please:) The 1997IjA Individual
Championships!!
Mike
Price drew the post position. Mike is a native of Oshkosh,
His
set continued with a fast-paced club routine, including a head balance
kickback, and climaxed by kicking a fifth club into a cascade,
featuring individual back crosses and under the leg throws. Mike
finished with his signature tall unicycle, free-mounted in place.
Idling atop that perch, he Mills Messed three clubs, tried some back
crosses, did a two club drop back, and launched five into a cascade.
Greg
Forbes has the best of both worlds: a satisfying job as an electrical
engineer in the Washington, D.C., area, and a secret identity as Otto
Mann, juggler extraordinaire. Alter ego Otto was the evening's second
contender, mixing many original ideas (including an overhead fist
bounce, controlled collisions, and force bouncing, all using stage
balls) with traditional tests of juggling skill (smoothly adding a
fourth and then a fifth ball to the pattern without stopping). His
novel use of traffic cones as prop stands for individual balls
provided additional surprises as he twirled and juggled them as well.
His safety-orange vest was a real crowd-pleaser, too!
Otto/Greg
learned to juggle long before encountering other jugglers. Now he's an
avid festival goer, and calls festival audiences "the most
appreciative crowd you could ever have." Try competing, he
recommends, commenting, "Even if you don't make it, your act is
better for the practice."
Next,
Julian Pittman provided a theatrical interlude: costumed in onyx
spandex and a Lloyd Webber "Phantom" mask, Pittman presented
a lyrical display of classical large ball manipulation. Spinning balls
were
Then,
a complete change of pace - up-tempo rock music and a killer vest
heralded a Vegas-style burst of club juggling, including under the leg
everies, shower and backcrosses.
Off
stage, Pittman is studying juggling's potential as a behavior therapy
at the College of William and Mary. He cites Albert Lucas and Benji
Hill as his wellsprings of inspiration and mentorship.
Matt
Henry projects a lot of good-natured fun when he juggles, which must
be good for business: Matt is a full time professional performer,
currently doing five shows a day at Disney World. For the challenge of
his first championships set (he had never competed before), Matt
included some spiffy combinations using silicone balls and a devil
Matt's
act also incorporated a number of sight gags, ending with a delightful
routine in which balls are kept rolling on an inclined ironing board,
eventually bouncing their way into his laundry basket. In spite of
wearing underwear on his head (or, perhaps, because of it), the judges
awarded him this year's bronze medal.
From
the playful to the post-modern: Jay Gilligan took the stage, using a
small lamp, juggling rings, and dance to energize an otherwise spare
space. Gilligan, who says, "I go where the music takes me,"
presented a piece that continually underscored the visual impact of
the rings. He blended backhanded catches, tosses from the side, and
pancake flips with static arrangements and rearrangements of the
bright yellow circles into chains, triangles, and spatial shapes. He
concluded the piece with pancake flipping five rings and a
flash/pulldown of eight rings, finally winding down to extinguish the
light from the lamp.
Gilligan's
commitment to his art is as inspiring as it is exhausting. In
Pittsburgh he also competed in Teams, presented a solo work in the
Cascade of Stars, and was a Jon Held dancer.
When
Brian Patz arrived in Pittsburgh, he wasn't certain he'd compete.
Experience has taught him that between technique and attitude, it's
the attitude that really demands the most focus. Once he decided that
he could relax and have fun with his contest set, the rest followed
naturally and netted him this year's silver medal. His unabashed '70s
disco dance style played well, and helped highlight his solid juggling
skills. His club work was fast and precise (including under the leg
throws with five), and the audience clapped along with the music
during his cigar box segment. He concluded with juggling rings,
garnishing the catches with snappy twirls, and finished with pulldowns
from five and seven.
Although
he outgrew the Juniors championships several years ago, Patz continues
to be a stalwart supporter of that tradition as a mentor to
Vladik
Miagkostoupov topped off the evening with classic circus juggling and
a distinct Vegas flair. Reprising his 1995 gold medal Juniors
Back
to balls, Vladik worked his way up to a five ball three-up double
pirouette. Then he nailed a seven ball cascade with a five-up
pirouette. He flashed eight balls, with encouragement from the
audience. From
For
his solid technique and personable performing style, the judges
awarded Vladik the 1997IjA Individual Championships Gold medal.
Albert
Lucas made a special trip to Pittsburgh to personally congratulate the
competitors and to dispense the medals and the trophy that bears his
name. Dan Holzman and Arthur Lewbel earned everyone's gratitude for |