BY MARIAH SKINNER

 

Randa Brown is a typical modern woman, juggling the demands of family and career. In Randa's case, her career happens to be foot juggling.

 

When she met her husband, Danny, a circus equilibrist, she was living in Beaumont, Tex., juggling a full-time job as a lab technician and full-time premedical studies at Lamar College. They dated for a while, and eventually Danny persuaded her to toss up her commitments to school and work and join him on the road.

 

That was 19 years ago. Today they are still at it, traveling up to 11 months a year, performing their acts all over the USA, Canada and Mexico. They have two sons, Nathan (10) and Grant (8). In that time Randa has grown from being her husband's assistant to being a performer in her own right.

 

During an extended engagement on the International All­Star Circus, antipodist Patty Rucker took Randa under her wing. Under Patty's patient tutelage, Randa learned the basics of foot juggling. She learned "pitter-pat," rolling a large cylinder with the soles of one's feet, taking tiny "steps." She learned to flip large heavy props like barrels, Maltese crosses and even tables, then quickly spin them.

 

She also learned that lying on one's back flipping large heavy objects with the feet is difficult. Randa has scars on her face to prove it can be dangerous as well. Some foot jugglers wear a catcher's mask when they are learning, or hold their hands in front of them to protect their faces. Randa's teacher would have none of that, insisting that she practice the basics until she could perform them flawlessly.

 

Randa found that the patient practice paid off when Patty Rucker left the show and Randa was recruited to replace her. She quickly realized the difference between simply practicing a skill and performing it before a live audience.

 

Randa enjoys giving her act a theme. For a long time she worked as Randa, Princess of the Nile. Lately, she has adopted a Western theme. Husband Danny builds props to match. She now juggles a wagon wheel, a dynamite barrel and a "playing card." Her cylinder is painted to resemble a scraggly-faced desperado, complete with cowboy hat and boots. Sometimes traction tape or sand is incorporated into the prop decorations for better grip. While some foot jugglers like to work barefoot, Randa prefers to wear gym shoes for her act.

 

Randa takes a great deal of pride in her accomplishments as an antipodist, but no less pride than she takes in being mother to sons Nathan and Grant. The Browns are a close­knit family. Spending most of the year on the road, she supervises the boys' schooling, and enjoys outings with them to museums, zoos and parks. Rather than pressuring them to work in show business, she encourages them to pursue their own interests.

 

Randa also enjoys reading, sewing and listening to music. To overcome jitters while performing, she tends to think about one of these hobbies rather than concen­trating on tricks. This lets her relax and perform her skills with ease.

 

As for the future, this premedical student-turned-antipodist can foresee one day a reversal of those roles, finding a permanent home for her family and living at last with both feet on the ground!