Juggler's World: Vol. 42, No. 1

Notes

Thanks to Dave Jones and Markus Markoni

• Charles Stron, while performing in Las Vegas, went to see the Moscow Circus there and met Victor Pilipovich and Anatoly Myagkostupovy. The two Soviets were excited to hear that Anthony Gatto was performing at the Union Plaza in town, and Gatto invited the other three over to see the show. They met afterwards and shared notes about how Gatto does double spin five club back crosses while the Soviets use triple spins. Stron and his partner, Bill Witter, worked at Circus Circus recently, but Stron will be on his own juggling and stilt-walking at about 15 state fairs in the midwest this summer.

• Some notes culled from other circus and entertainment magazines:

  • T.J. Howell and Dick Franco were working in December at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Fla. Howell also did some juggling on skates in a December show in Peoria, Ill.

  • Bob Welz, performing juggler, worked this winter with the Ron Urban Ice Show. He is scheduled to work with Circus Gatti this season.

  • Uleses Raymond was juggling with the Royal London Circus in Asia.

  • Carter Brown and Mark Faje teamed up for a Big John Strong Christmas show, juggling up to eight clubs between them.

  • Dario Vasquez has been juggling at Circus Circus in Las Vegas.

  • Vlastec Bertini was a unicycling juggler in festivities during the Fourth Annual Circus Week in Sarasota.

  • Fernando and Irene Bautista juggled with the Cole All Star Circus.

  • Frank Endrix juggled with the Gerry Cottle circus in London.

  • The August Brothers duo highlighted the one-time Winterfest Circus Spectacular in Southfield, Mich., in late January. They entered on high unicycles and later balanced such objects as a working TV set, kitchen sink and wildly flaming barbecue grill. They also juggled balls, clubs, rings axes and torches. Ringmaster Jonathan Haglund also juggled in the show.

  • Tommy Curtin is juggling on the ice at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Fla., while Dieter Tasso juggles elsewhere in the park.

  • Justino Zoppe, all 10 years old of him, juggled in center ring to open the second half of the Hubler International Circus in Dayton, Ohio.

• This summer's conventioneers may find a new game on the Southern California beaches around LA. It's "pateca," played with a toy called Volleybird. IJAers Scott Morris and Dave Finnigan have teamed up to market the popular Brazilian toy in the US. A pateca is a sort of feather-tailed bag that players hit back and forth with their hands. As its trade name implies, its most common competitive use is in play over a volleyball net.

• The December 1989 issue of American Health Magazine features an interview with Albert Lucas. The interviewer, Steve McKee, uses Lucas to compare the act of juggling to computer controlled cruise missile technology.

• Jonathan Seglins created and produced his own "Jonathan's Serious Fun Show" for presentation in Quebec in January and February. He has kept busy recently with street performing (including winning best novelty act award at Kingston's Street Performer Fest), theme park shows, corporate shows and appearances in films, on television and at cabarets.

• Juggler's World reported last issue on Frederic Zipperlin's appearance with the Cirque de Soleil. People interested in working for them may contact: Gilles Ste-Croix, Artistic Director (514)522-2324, Cirque Du Soleil, 1217, Notre-Dame est, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2L-2R3.

• Robert Nelson has been around the world and back recently. He toured Australia for several months, participating in festivals and enjoying Australian 'understatement.' He went to New Zealand for the XIV Commonwealth Games in Aukland, to Hawaii for the Vaudeville Festival there, then to Amsterdam for the International Super Street Performers Theatre Show March 6-10.

• The Soviet Acrobatic Revue performed in San Francisco. Though there was no "big-name" juggling act, Ahmed Dianov and Rashidya Gafurova performed "brick juggling with a Soviet flair." This was a cigar box routine with the boxes made to resemble an accordion for a standard three box routine. The outstanding portion was a slap-stack routine with 12 boxes which included a full pirouette and putting on a jacket. Vladimir Serov also did six rings on a unicycle and slackrope.

• Orange Juggler Eric Berg made a five week tour of Japan, Korea and Hawaii.

• Daniel Rosen was featured on the Jan. 20 Fox network show, "Comic Strip Live." He did a three snowball routine followed by "blindfolded" cleaver juggling. Ron Pearson of Los Angeles appears in Fox network "Comedy Express" reruns doing three clubs, including Albert throws, Treblas and a three club pirouette. He finishes by balancing a chair on his chin, then juggling the clubs. (reprinted from Two-Ply Press)

• Edward Jackman is off the college circuit and doing corporate shows all over the country. While at home in Los Angeles, he's enjoying the challenge of juggling five one-pound Exerballs. He said, "I do them out in the park and people see me and think, 'Why is he struggling so hard?'" And though he claims to hate exercise, he is building a strong body several ways by juggling three 2-1/2 pound Exerballs while simultaneously working his legs on a Stairmaster machine. He said, "Juggling is interesting enough with heavy balls. Even after 15 years of juggling it's kinda cool!"

• Kris Kremo, who will be the guest artist at the IJA convention this summer, is now performing at the Lido night club in Paris.

• Soviet dentist Michail Staroselelsky writes that in 16 years of amateur juggling he has learned seven balls, six clubs, and a combination trick with two rings, two soccer balls and a tennis racket. He is now working on bounce juggling up to five balls off of a tennis racket held in one hand. He would also like to organize an All-Union Jugglers Association in the Soviet Union to work with other juggling associations.

• Circus fans might want to investigate a subscription to "King Pole" magazine, published by the 60-year-old Circus Friends Association of Great Britain. For details, send a postage-paid international replay coupon to: The Membership Secretary, 43 Waterloo Lane, Skellingthorpe, Lincoln LN6 5SJ, Great Britain.

• 1989 IJA Champion Cindy Marvell is working on a dance theatre juggling piece for presentation in New York City in June. Marvell, choreographer Howard Fireheart and Toby Green will juggle and dance in the production, accompanied by four other dancers. It will be presented during the last two weekends of the month at the Rapp Art Center in Greenwich Village. Her summer's work also includes return engagements at the New York Renaissance Fair and the Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival.

  Earlier in the year Marvell spent six weeks performing for Chandris Fantasy Cruises in the Caribbean. It was her first time juggling on a cruise ship, and she enjoyed learning how to "juggle with an 8-foot ceiling on a slanted stage that rocks unpredictably." Another interesting performance was opening up for a band led by the Grateful Dead's Bob Weir. That show took place at the Ritz in New York City.

• The Celebration Barn Theatre is holding its annual Antic Arts workshop again this summer to teach visual and physical comedy. Students will work on acrobatics, slapstick, spontaneity and object manipulation. Training during the day is followed by scene work and performances at night. Fred Garbo, internationally known juggler, acrobat, unicyclist and "inflatable man," will be the instructor for the June 18 - July 6 classes. 1988 IJA champion Jeff Mason will join him as one of the guest instructors. Last year's convention guest instructor, Benny Reehl will lead a production workshop at Celebration Barn from Sept. 4-14. Tuition (including housing) for Garbo's workshop is $750, and Reehl's is $500. For more information, contact Celebration Barn Theatre; RD 1; Box 236; South Paris, ME 04281; 207/743-8452.

• After a few months of "much-needed vacation," Kezia Tenenbaum reports that Airjazz is back on a very busy schedule, particularly with international appearances. From March 5-25, Airjazz performed its theatre show at the New Zealand International Festival of the Arts. Fred Garbo and Johnny Fox also performed at the Festival. But that was not the limit of their globetrotting. On the way to New Zealand, the group stopped off in Hawaii for a week of shows, and as soon as they returned from down under, they were off to England.

  In the U.K., Airjazz performed on ventriloquist Ronn Lucas' television show. Among their state-side appearances in the near future, the trio will perform at the Pittsburgh International Children's Festival May 9-13. Airjazz will be the only American act on the bill.

• Avant-Garde Productions is looking for medium to high-end entertainers for one to six month engagements at amusement parks in Europe. Send promo packets and/or tapes to Patty Berg; c/o Avant-Garde Productions; 1401 N. Batavia St. #110; Orange, CA 92667.