31-6,p8

THE PROFESSOR CONFIDENCE CORNER

by Dave Finnigan

Education Director

Teaching tip--- Learning 5 balls is an ordeal most of us eventually face. How can you make it more fun and easier for your students? What techniques have been found to be most effective for breaking through to a sustained 5 ball cascade? Send in your own tips. Meanwhile, I'll list a few which have worked for me or for others.

Equipment--- Use solidly packed leather or cloth bean bags, tennis balls filled with sand, "thunder balls" (tennis balls with 5 or six ounces of shot inside) or dead lacrosse balls.

Exercises - Carlo suggests throwing successive 3 ball flashes with handclaps for the missing balls. Right-Ieft-right-clapclap-left-right-left-(repeatJ. Roger Dollarhide has two jugglers face each other about two feet apart. Juggler ONE throws five balls to juggler TWO slowly. Juggler TWO simply catches them all. S/he then throws

them back, picking up the tempo a bit. Eventually you can throw five balls rapidly and accurately to the other person, with your fifth ball leaving your hand just as the first ball lands in your partner's hand. This exercise can lead directly to "take-aways" and to five ball "flash passes", both good exercises for developing speed and accuracy; the key to five (or more) balls.

Sustaining the juggle - If you count every throw aloud, you will probably speed up the juggle. It is better to count every right hand throw at first, says Peter Davison (eg. ONE--and-TWO--and-THREE--etc.). Eventually you want to visualize and sustain the entire pattern, and counting may become a hindrance. James Meltzer suggests running the pattern in your mind constantly, even when you are not juggling. Also, you throw when the descending ball has passed its peak, and is about half-way to your throwing hand, not when it peaks, as in most 2,3,or 4 ball patterns.

Juggling games

It has been suggested that in Fargo we hold a workshop on juggling games, including relay races, contests and "New Games". Send in descriptions of your favorites. Here is mine:

Jolly bal - I'm sure that this game has been played by other jugglers under other names. It is easy to learn and fun for both participants and spectators. It is like volleyball, except that we use two players and five gymnastic balls which weigh about 1 lb. each, and measure 7 inches in diameter. The imaginary net stands about one foot above the head of the taller of the two players.

The player serving has 3 balls, the receiving player has 2. The server begins to juggle. S/he must throw a ball over the net within a count of three throws. The receiving juggler can then either throw a ball back or keep and juggle the incoming ball, but must return something within three throws. Double throws are allowed if they are simultaneous. Trick and fake shots develop spontaneously as each player tries to outfox the other.

When we teach juggling in schools we use this game as our finale to the assembly program that starts off our teaching day. One game of 3, and the kids really get excited cheering for their champion. Practice Jolly Ball with soccer sized balls if gymnastic balls aren't available, and we'll have a tournament in Fargo. Meanwhile, keep spreading the joy of juggling!

SOUTH AFRICAN REPORT

by Jacques Marais Germiston, South Africa

As a new member of the IJA, I would like to tell you something about the juggling scene in "way-out" South Africa.

Until a few years ago jugglers were very scarce in our country, but due to a sudden interest we have at present quite a few good jugglers.

There are only two big touring circuses here. The biggest one, Boswell-Wilkie, books acts from all over the world. In this year's program they feature a Spanish juggler, Alvarez Junior who specializes in club juggling and the boomarang plates.

The other, smaller, circus, Olympic, uses only local artists. I toured with them last year as ringmaster and juggler. This year they feature the juggling team of Los Dineros, Donovan from Durban and Fransie Kruger from Witbank (a smallish town in the Transvaal) .

They do a lovely act with balls, rings, clubs, fire, blocks and some very fine balancing. Olympic's manager, Les Norman, used to do a brilliant juggling and rollo-bar act in circuses a few years ago but is too busy now.

We are lucky in South Africa to have Keith Anderson, who used to run a circus school for youngsters at the Cape Town YMCA. He and some pupils are now performing in European circuses.

The best juggler from Keith's school is Charles Straun. He and his partner Colin Underwood do a lovely act with juggling, unicycling and slack-wire walking. Both are in the army now, but plan to join Keith in Europe when they finish service.

In Sasolburg in the Orange Free State, the manager of the local theatre, Jannie Lindeque is a circus fanatic and has started his own small mini-circus. It is called Mini Circus Delin and features, among other good acts, a trio of talented young jugglers ages 15 to 17.

They specialize in clubs, hats and unicycling. Within a few months one of the youngsters who had never juggled before was juggling five clubs! This little circus does only occasional shows in the vicinity.

In Cape Town we find the polished cabaret juggler and magician, Chris Welsh. He has worked all types of shows, including ice shows.

William Victor, probably our country's greatest circus material collector, is a professor of Criminology and Sociology at the University of Fort Hare in the town of Alice on the Cape. He does a lot of shows, mainly as magician, but also features slapstick juggling and plate-spinning.