EDITOR’S NOTE: This material contains historical language and imagery that some may find objectionable regarding the treatment of animals. This content is preserved as part of the historical record and does not reflect any endorsement by the IJA. These materials are presented for educational and research purposes. By: Esteban Vélez. Svetlana Mykityuk and Vyacheslav Zolkin created an antipodism act with …
The Peacock Feather and Tube Trick
By David Cain Balancing a peacock feather on the nose or forehead is a common and old trick in the juggler’s repertoire that goes back hundreds of years. Jacques Sandre 1760 Francesco Orsini 1825 From the collection of Thom Wall There is, however, a more complex version of this stunt. The Peacock Feather and Tube Trick is an old juggling …
Sunset Circus Review
By Raphael Harris Sunset Circus played two shows in Manhattan in March and are returning in May. The team consists of seven performers. Joel Jeske plays George, the family Dad and uses clowning counterintuitively to be the family leader. Deborah Lohse, on loan from Bindlestiff, plays Marguerite the Mom and employs humor and wisdom keep the kids in check. Stephanie …
Juggling and Calisthenics: The Perfect Synergy for Strength and Body Control
Francisco Javier Rodriguez Bernal Strength training in jugglers is essential, as it helps prevent injuries, improves posture, and reduces physical fatigue caused by the constant repetition of throws during practice sessions. This interest in better understanding the relationship between strength and stage performance was the starting point for a personal research project. Image shared by Rx2Ball (https://www.instagram.com/rx2balls/ While writing my …
Bill Talent
By David Cain Vincent Coughlin, known in show business as Bill Talent, was born on April 5, 1893, in Sioux City. His earliest attempt at performing came at the age of six, when he tried baton twirling after seeing twirlers in the street parades of minstrel troupes. For a baton, he used one of his mother’s brooms, cutting off the …
Playing Cards – An Unexplored Juggling Prop
By David Solomon As a teenager, I received a giant, 545-page book for Christmas. On the cover, a man in a top hat balanced a ribbon of playing cards spread across his outstretched arm. The book – the Encyclopedia of Playing Card Flourishes by Jerry Cestkowski – excited me with its wealth of possibilities. I had no idea that one of those …
New Photos, Videos, and Information on Carl Baggesen and Boy Foy
By David Cain Today we will examine two jugglers about whom I’ve written before, Carl Baggesen and Boy Foy. I’ve included new photos and information about both and new video of Boy Foy. Carl Baggesen Carl Baggesen is little known among today’s jugglers, yet he was a major attraction during the height of vaudeville. Born in 1858 in Odense, Denmark, …
Henri Agoust
By David Cain (Author’s note: Thanks to Erik Åberg for generously sharing some of his research on Agoust for this article.) Paul Cinquevalli (1859 – 1918) was the first juggling superstar and changed public perception of the art form, but he certainly wasn’t the first famous juggler. We know a decent amount about various jugglers before Cinquevalli, such as Old …
“The Big Lemniscate” Juggling Pattern
By Michael Newton On Sunday, January 18, 2026, 40 jugglers performed a “big lemniscate”[1] at the O’Keefe Middle School in Madison, as part of the 47th Annual Madfest juggling festival. Lemniscate is a funny math word referring to a figure-8 shape (see fig 1.), and “The Big Lemniscate” is a fun club-passing pattern involving a whole bunch of jugglers moving steadily …