Stagecraft: Improv

NOTE: While most articles on eJuggle are free to the public, this exclusive article is for IJA members only. If you're a member, log in on the side to read the full article. If you're not a member, read about the benefits of IJA membership in the About menu at the top of the page and join today!
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This month we look at the art of Improvisation. The word ultimately comes from the latin: improvisus, which translates as unforeseen. When an artist is involved in the creative process, they literally can not see the terrain that lays ahead.

The creation of performance pieces and the development of new juggling tricks is a pure act of improvisation. We uncover the unseen and reveal the hidden. Although long and short form comedy improv on the whole stands apart from the variety arts, there are so many similarities that it bears a closer look. What’s more, there are many resources that can be found in print that can help us deal with our own issues, such as creative block, free association, and continuity of theme.

Many of today’s great improvisers such as Mike Meyers and Tina Fey got their start at a school in Chicago called Improv Olympics, a school founded Charna Halpern. She is also the author of a classic improv manual: "Truth in Comedy". Here is an excerpt of an interview we did last week.

YOU MUST BE AN IJA MEMBER TO READ THE INTERVIEW WITH CHARNA HALPERN…

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This exclusive article is for IJA members only. Go to https://ezine.juggle.org/membership-options-page/ to join the IJA for this and other benefits.

Thanks!

What a great first month we had! There are so many people to thank for the initial success of the ezine. The ezine team is David Landowne, Dave Pawson, Erin Stephens, and Scott Seltzer. What a great group of people taking initiative and making sure that things get done, and done well. In the first month, we probably had more …

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Interact! – Poetry Slam

The Interact! column appears twice a month, and is a place for jugglers to get creative and share with the community.  This column features contests and collaborations of all kinds – photo contests and juggling challenges, prop reviews and essay competitions.  Three winners will be selected each time, with a fantastic prizes from the IJA Store awarded, just to keep …

Stagecraft: Creativity and Inspiration

NOTE: While most articles on eJuggle are free to the public, this exclusive article is for IJA members only. If you're a member, log in on the side to read the full article. If you're not a member, read about the benefits of IJA membership in the About menu at the top of the page and join today!
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The art of juggling is at a crucial moment in it’s history. Like most art-forms, the internet is rapidly changing how it is learned, seen and understood. It will grow from here in one of two ways: It can become more like a competitive sport, where it will belong in the gym, or it can become a more expressive and creative movement, flowering on the stage. In this article, veteran performer Brad Weston shares his experiences and and talks to other well-known and creative performers where they seek inspiration for their work.

YOU MUST BE AN IJA MEMBER TO READ MORE…

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This exclusive article is for IJA members only. Go to https://ezine.juggle.org/membership-options-page/ to join the IJA for this and other benefits.

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Anthony Gatto Interview on Practicing

NOTE: While most articles on eJuggle are free to the public, this exclusive article is for IJA members only. If you're a member, log in on the side to read the full article. If you're not a member, read about the benefits of IJA membership in the About menu at the top of the page and join today!
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Here is a summary of the questions covered:
How do you structure your practice sessions?
How much time do you spend on each prop/trick?
Can you describe your warm-up theory?
What are important considerations about posture while juggling?
What do you think about when you practice?
What do you concentrate on more when doing combination tricks?
How relaxed versus concentrated are you when you practice?
What do you think about after you miss a trick?
What kinds of corrections do you find yourself making most?
You spoke a lot about your physical approaches. What about your mental attitude and preparations?
How much do you think about your practice sessions outside of practice?
Do you use visualization when you practice?
How strict are you with your practice sessions?
How has your practice style changed over the years?
Thank you so much for taking the time to share this information with us.

YOU MUST BE AN IJA MEMBER TO READ THE FULL INTERVIEW…

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This exclusive article is for IJA members only. Go to https://ezine.juggle.org/membership-options-page/ to join the IJA for this and other benefits.

Dutch Juggler Michiel Hesseling… Still Going Strong!

As this is the inaugural of the latest publication of the International Jugglers’ Association, it’s a prime opportunity to revisit some of the great jugglers that have been featured in the past by the IJA. The Dutch juggler Michiel Hesseling was featured approximately a quarter century ago in Juggler’s World (Vol. 39, No. 4 – Winter 1987). By that time …