The Resurrection of Traditional Myanmar Juggling

(Haz clic aquí para español.) “We cannot play when we are afraid, nervous or angry (…) Our mind has to be clear as crystal.” Ohn Myint   As documented in the article Juggling in Myanmar, the art of manipulating objects, especially balls, in Myanmar, originated in the late 19th century. Itinerant jugglers showed their acts in the streets, in circuses, …

Two Records of Juggling in the Middle Ages

(Haz clic aquí para español.) Minstrels in the Middle Ages (which ranged from the fall of the Roman Empire (in the year 476) to the discovery of America (1492) or the fall of Constantinople (1453, according to several historians) were complete artists: they did juggling, magic, singing, playing instruments, performing comedy acts, among other tasks. Some worked entertaining the monarchy, …

The Six Ring / Plate Jump Rope Trick

(日本語はこちら) Jugglers often ask me what my favorite juggling trick from history is. While I don’t have a definitive answer to that question, I do have a handful of favorites. I’d like to share one of those with you today. It is a very difficult old-school trick where a performer juggles six plates or rings while spinning a ring on …

Emma Cotrely: the Best Juggler in Europe

(Haz clic aquí para español.) There were newspapers that titled Emma Cotrely as “the best juggler in Europe;” others, like “the best and most important United States.” According to those same newspapers, Emma was very popular; She toured Europe in the company of, apparently, her husband Antonio Van Gofre. However, not much information is available about her life. I also …

Diabolo and Royalty

(Haz clic aquí para español.) As I have written, diabolo invaded all social and political spheres of Europe in the 20th century. Its history is truly amazing and invites a deeper study of its expansion and popularity. It can be said that no object in the history of circus and juggling had as much significance in society as the diabolo. …

Violetta Kiss: Acrobat, Juggler, Antipodist, Teacher and Circus Director

(Haz clic aquí para español.) The director must die in the actor; This law is inherent not only to the theater. A circus director is even more hidden from the viewer than a theater director. Susanna kurzyamova Violetta Kiss is the sister of renowned juggler Alexander Kiss. The siblings performed together for a long time, until Violetta’s retirement. The duo’s …

Vintage Prop Showcase: The Trix-A-Ball

In early 2023, fellow juggling historian Erik Åberg found a very interesting item in an online auction. It was a toy from the 1960s called the Trix-A-Ball. He won the auction and brought the item to show me when he visited the Museum of Juggling History in July of 2023. It was an amazing item. It consisted of an inflatable …

The 441 on Juggling Education

The 441 exists to further efforts to share juggling with the world. Host Bailey Cichon asks questions to members of the juggling and circus community to inspire YOU to further the conversation. In this episode, a panel of juggling coaches and teaching artists talk candidly about juggling education, how they talk about failure with their students and managing a circus …

Joseph Jalvan – Groundbreaking African-American Juggling Star

Joseph Jalvan, who was born Joseph O’Bryan in Clear Spring, Maryland (USA) on Dec. 15th, 1856. He was an African-American juggler who was a star of minstrel shows in the USA and of international stage shows, especially in Australia, starting at least as early as 1890. He was a very talented juggler, performing complex balancing tricks with pipes (and pigeons), …