By: Esteban Vélez. Ratiani. Ratiani was a Soviet juggler, magician, illusionist, and circus director. His career as an artist and director was openly recognized by the cultural authorities of the USSR. Otar Aleksandrovich Ratiani was born on June 23, 1920 (believed to have been born in Russia). In 1940, he graduated from the State University of Arts with his act …
Chasley Products – Novelty Juggling Beanbags
By David Cain Chasley Products was established in 1981 by Barb and Charlie Brister of Seattle, Washington. Their original “Flying Penguini,” was designed by Barb to give Charlie something fun to juggle with. This led to a huge variety of themed beanbags as Charlie quit his previous career to focus full-time on novelty juggling beanbags. The company closed in 1998, …
Henri Agoust’s Dream – The Restaurant Juggler
By: Esteban Vélez. Henri Agoust was a multidisciplinary artist who mastered juggling, as well as pantomime and ballet. He was born on June 22, 1840. Between 1860 and 1870, he performed in circuses and street shows with juggling and balancing routines. He married the trapeze artist Rosita Zanfretta, who performed under the name Azella. In 1878, Agoust joined the Hanlon-Lees …
Béla Kremo: A Photo and Video Compilation
By David Cain The Kremo family has a long history as circus performers. Béla Kremo was born in 1911 in Berlin, Germany, but was a citizen of Switzerland. He started out as part of his father’s risley act, but became interested in juggling after watching Enrico Rastelli perform. Béla started out as a solo juggler in 1931 under the name …
Cross-Training Applied to Juggler Conditioning
By Francisco Javier Rodriguez Bernal Cross-Training is a fitness method known for its high-intensity, functional focus. This system systematically integrates exercises from various disciplines, including weightlifting (resistance training), gymnastics (bodyweight movements), and cardio (athletics). Its main goal is to train the body holistically to develop a wide spectrum of key physical skills: strength, muscular and cardiovascular endurance, agility, balance, and …
Doubts about the feats of a French juggler
By: Esteban Vélez. In the history of juggling, there are various stories, myths, legends, and writings about jugglers who performed unimaginable feats. Verifying their accuracy, especially that of ancient accounts, is the complex task of a juggling researcher. For example, in the history of Chinese juggling, there is the story of Lanzi, who “performed (before Lord Yuan of Song, from …
Strolling Juggling Ideas
By David Cain I have a confession to make. I hate strolling juggling gigs. I mean, I really, really hate them. This wasn’t always the case. I performed at Kings Island Amusement Park for 7 years during my high school and college years. For some of that time, I performed in an ice skating show or opened for that show. …
Cruise Ship Jugglers–Comic Juggling at Sea
The IJA is proud to present excerpts from the works of noted juggling historian Karl-Heinz Ziethen. This chapter is from the book Juggling–The Past and Future Juggling has long been a staple of variety entertainment, and as ocean liners evolved from mere transportation vessels into floating entertainment hubs, jugglers found new opportunities to perform at sea. In the early days, …
New Information and Photos of Frank LeDent
By David Cain Of all the work I’ve done as a juggling historian, I’m probably proudest of my research into Frank Le Dent. Ten years ago, I wrote the first juggling history article detailing his life and career. Previously, all we really knew was that he supposedly juggled 11 balls. We also only had one photo of him. Through the …