IJA eNewsletter – June 2026

IJA logo
www.juggle.org		IJA eNewsletter
June 2026Editors: Don Lewis & Martin Frost
(ijanews@juggle.org)

CONTENTS

  • What have we learned after 79 years ?
  • IJA Festival Registration
  • IJA Hotels
  • Note from the Show Director
  • Museum of Juggling History at IJA Festival
  • 2026 IJA Film Festival: Last chance to submit your film
  • IJA Festival workshop leaders
  • A guide to dining and drinking in Fort Wayne
  • Vote in the 2026 IJA Board of Directors election
  • Call for letters of interest for 2029 IJA Festival Director
  • Planting the Juggling Seed show – call for performers, teachers, and emcee
  • Get your ticket now for the Fort Wayne Walking Tour & Pub Crawl
  • YJA Badge Book
  • IJA Board meetings
  • Juggling clubs and upcoming juggling festivals
  • Latest from eJuggle: podcasts & articles

 

 

What Have We Learned After 79 Years?
Benjamin Domask-Ruh

Hello IJA Community! Chair article

Can you believe we are only one month away from the annual festival?  Did you know the IJA’s Regional Competitions (IRCs) have reached their 50th event and their 15th year?  Youth can attend the festival for free this year (and next), our scholarship program is thriving thanks to our wonderful donors, and exciting backend improvements are underway that will be ready to roll out next year.  Which is SOON in nonprofit time….

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

June happened, and I’m still catching up with everything that’s happened in my own life as a circus artist.  I’ve been teaching and performing all over the USA, including one week with 15 shows.  For many of our performers out there, I’m sure your summer season is picking up too as festivals and celebrations fill the calendar.

In IJA news, we’ve held our monthly vision and business meetings, including voting on our festival location for 2030!  I’ve also been preparing the Youth Juggling Academy programming for this year’s festival and planning our Annual General Meeting.  We’re trying something a little different this year.

While preparing, I found myself diving into the old dev.juggle.org website to reread some of the IJA’s history.  I learned so much about the organization’s early days, which inspired the title of this update: What Have We Learned After 79 Years?

Maybe a better question is: What can the IJA teach us after 79 years of operation?

The first thing that comes to mind is how resilient a community has to be to last this long.  The IJA has had its share of ups and downs.  Pun intended?  I’d rather not.  But I do have to acknowledge the moment when the organization came close to folding and was sustained through the first sales of Life Memberships.  Thank you to everyone who invested in the future so we can all benefit today.

The second lesson is about the idea of a festival itself.

Maybe you know that the IJA began as an offshoot of a couple of “rebellious” magicians who also happened to juggle during an International Brotherhood of Magicians convention.  Before that, I’ve been told there were discussions about forming an association, but many old-time jugglers were protective of their tricks and reluctant to share ideas that supported their careers.  (Please correct me if I’m wrong!)  As television contributed to the decline of vaudeville, though, the need to come together and support one another became clear.

Fast forward to today and think about all the juggling festivals happening around the world.  Can we draw a direct line from that first gathering in 1947 to everything that’s happening now?  If so, that’s an incredible accomplishment for any organization.  The IJA grew from a professional support network into a community gathering space for people brought together by juggling.  This teaches us the impact of working together instead of siloing in self-preservation!

But… that success led me to a somewhat uncomfortable question.

Has the IJA accomplished our mission?

At our most recent board meeting, we talked about attendance for this year’s festival and the fluctuations we’ve seen in both membership and attendance over the years.  Given everything happening in the world, it’s understandable that people are hesitant to travel or simply don’t have the means or time to do so.  Part of our responsibility as a board is looking after both the financial health of the organization and our mission and trying new things in order to ensure we’re serving our mission.

I remember reading that, at one point, the IJA chose to open its doors beyond professional performers to welcome the growing number of hobbyist jugglers entering the community.  Should we have renamed ourselves to the ‘International JUGGLING Association’ at that time?

I’ve met so many people who’ve said, “I can juggle, but I’m not a juggler.” And that’s completely fair.  Juggler is an identity.  Juggling is a skill.

Today, learning to juggle is accessible through online videos and communities popping up across Instagram and elsewhere.  We’re excited to see whether that accessibility leads to membership growth.  But the bigger question remains:

Why?

Why become an IJA member?

You and I know the answer isn’t just the perks.  The value of this community is multi-faceted.  Membership dues keep the organization running, and in turn, the organization supports the broader juggling community, whether someone identifies as a juggler or is a member at all.

I think this much is true: no one will care about juggling as much as we do.

The IJA exists to approach juggling with the seriousness we know it deserves.  I truly believe the IJA has accomplished and continues to accomplish the mission we set out to achieve.  That is why, here in year 79, we are beginning to ask what are the next missions we will accomplish together.  Let’s talk about that together at this year’s festival!  Either during the AGM or simply person to person.  I seriously can’t wait to see everyone who is able to attend.

But you don’t have to wait until then to start the conversation.  You can always reach me at ija.chair@juggle.org.  Members are also welcome to attend board meetings.  Just send me an email for the meeting link.

RA2FJ,
Benjamin Domask-Ruh
IJA Board Chair

 

 

2026 IJA Festival2026 IJA Festival in Fort Wayne, IN

In just a few weeks the 2026 IJA Festival will be here!  The festival team has put together a stacked week of community, competition, learning, and fun, and we hope you can join us in Fort Wayne.

Pre-registration is closed, but if you missed the deadline or can only attend for a few days, you can register onsite.  The IJA will have day passes available starting Monday afternoon.

 

IJA Hotels

One deadline you won’t want to miss is booking your hotel!

The IJA offers three hotel options for the 2026 festival, all just steps away from the gym.  Hotels are filling up fast; if you’re attending make sure you make your reservation today.  Booking in the IJA Room Block gets you closest to the action, and saves you a lot.  Sharing a room is a great way to save some extra funds as well – two people in a room brings the per night rate to about $86 each (including tax), or just $43 each with four people.

The most availability is currently at the Courtyard by Marriott and the Hampton Inn by Hilton.  See information about hotels, including the links to book at our reduced IJA rates.  Don’t hesitate – our room block is selling out.  If you’re looking for a friend to share a ride or room with, check out this unaffiliated IJA Festival Room and Ride Share group on Facebook.

The deadline for IJA hotel reservations is July 5.

 

Note from the Show Director
Amy Wieliczka

This is my first year serving as IJA’s Show Director, and putting these shows together has given me an entirely new appreciation for what it takes to create an international juggling festival.  I’ve learned far more than I expected about visas, travel logistics, and the different ways performers from different backgrounds think about touring, compensation, and giving back to the juggling community.  It’s been a fascinating process, and one that’s made me even more appreciative of every artist who’s making the journey to Fort Wayne.

The festival shows have always been my favorite part of IJA.  The gym is where our community comes together to share tricks, learn from one another, and reconnect with friends.  The stage, though, is where juggling becomes something else entirely.  Each night, we get to reconnect with the magic of juggling through artists who transform the skills we practice every day into high-level performances that surprise, move, and inspire us.

Over the course of one week, we’ll experience three distinct professional shows: the Welcome Show, the Flow Show, and the Cascade of Stars, all in the incredibly gorgeous Embassy Theatre.  Add to those the Stage Championships, an Open Stage, and Planting the Juggling Seed.  There really aren’t many places in the world where you can experience that many stage shows in a single week.

I’m especially excited to share artists like Arttu Lahtinen, Spencer Androli, Alejandra Parada, and Mati Alarcon Perez with you, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned while putting these shows together, it’s that everyone leaves the theatre inspired by and talking about someone different.

Whether you’re a lifelong juggler or a first-time IJA attendee, I hope you’ll make time for the shows.  I can’t wait to see you in the theatre!

(See the individual shows in the fest schedule for other performers at the festival.)

 

Museum of Juggling History at the IJA festival
David Cain

2026 IJA Film Festival

 

 

 

 

The Museum of Juggling History is happy to announce that they will be bringing two exhibits to the IJA Festival this summer.  They will be doing exhibits on the Brunn Family and on History’s Greatest Women Jugglers.  Stop by the exhibit room to see the wonderful props, photos, and memorabilia that will be on display.  The exhibit will be open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday from noon until 5 pm.

2026 IJA Film Festival

 

 

 

 

2026 IJA Film Festival: Last chance to submit your film

2026 IJA Film Festival

The Film Festival is open to short juggling films of all kinds, and one does not need to be a professional videographer to participate, so don’t be shy about entering!  We’re excited to see what sort of creative projects people bring to the table.  Films should be 2 to 25 minutes in length.  There’s about a week left before the Film Festival deadline of July 6.

Films will be screened on July 31 at the IJA Festival in Fort Wayne, IN.

See the full Film Festival rules. If you have any questions, contact the Film Festival Director, Nathan Wakefield at: nrwakefield@gmail.com.

 

IJA Festival workshops

There will be dozens of workshops at the festival.

Do you have a skill you’d like to share with others?  Juggling, flow, creative, arts, music, etc.  IJA attendees love workshops, and we’d love to see what you have to offer.

Share your skills, connect with others, and contribute to the community: offer a workshop today!

 

A guide to dining and drinking in Fort Wayne
Mike Sullivan, Advisory Future Festival Site Coordinator

I first visited Fort Wayne for IJA over a decade ago, prospecting the city to see if it would be a suitable home for our celebration.  Even in the depths of a Midwestern winter, with temperatures in the single-digits Fahrenheit, it was obvious to me then that Fort Wayne had more than everything we needed for a great festival week.

And when we first brought our celebration to the city in 2019, everyone was delighted by the beautiful venues, the walkable downtown and best of all, the excellent partners and people of Fort Wayne who said ‘Yes!’ to everything we asked.  No less an authority on IJA festivals than David Cain said, and I quote, “Fort Wayne has the best setup for an IJA festival that I’ve ever seen.”

Since 2019, Fort Wayne has only gotten better — and we can enjoy it all!  There’s more to see, do, eat, drink and enjoy than our first time there.  My guide to dining and drinking — plus some other fun things to check out — will give you a head start on making your festival week the best it can be.

Click here for the guide, and bookmark the article for quick reference when you get to town!

 

 

Vote in the 2026 IJA Board of Directors election
Martin Frost

The annual IJA election for members of the Board of Directors takes place at the IJA Festival in Fort Wayne, IN.  The nominees are listed below, along with a web link to all their statements.

IJA Board of Directors is comprised of seven people who make policy and collectively decide on the direction of the IJA.  Each director is elected for a two-year term.  There are four director positions up for election this year, so IJA members can vote for up to four people in this election.

WHO CAN VOTE?

All regular, life, youth, and family IJA members who are at least 13 years of age as of Thursday, July 30, 2026, can vote.

HOW DO I VOTE?

You can vote online anytime up to 11am EDT on Thursday, July 30, 2026.  Or you can vote in person at the IJA Festival on Thursday, July 30, 2026, until 30 minutes after the end of the IJA annual meeting, which is scheduled to start at 1:30pm EDT that day.  Voting either way is easy and only takes a minute or two.

You can use the following link to sign in and vote online now.  It will ask you to enter your IJA username and password and then it should take you to the voting page.  (If it doesn’t, after signing in, go to IJA 2026 election and cast your ballot there.)

NOMINEES

Below are the nominees for member of the IJA Board of Directors.  Please see their candidacy statements online.  You can vote for up to four.

  • Sofia Noethe
  • Jeffrey McLean
  • Jonathan Perry
  • Noel Yee
  • Benjamin Domask-Ruh

 

 

Call for letters of interest for 2029 IJA Festival Director

IJA logoAre you passionate about curating unforgettable experiences for the juggling community?  Do you thrive in dynamic environments where creativity and organization intersect?  Join our team as a Festival Director and play a pivotal role in shaping the 2029 IJA Festival.  The IJA would love to hear from those who are interested!  We’re beginning earlier than usual to give future festival directors additional time to work their magic.  The goal is to provide extra time for more opportunities, allow time for them to shadow current directors, and collaborate with former directors.

The 82nd IJA Festival will be in Albany, NY, during the week of July 9–15, 2029.

Responsibilities:

  • Organize the week long festival.
  • Oversee all aspects of festival planning, from conceptualization to execution, ensuring seamless coordination and exceptional attendee experiences.
  • Collaborate with the board, volunteers, artists, vendors, sponsors, venues and local partners, to align on goals.
  • Develop and manage budgets, timelines, and resources.
  • Choose to lead a core team of your choosing, providing guidance, support, and clear communication to ensure everyone is aligned with the festival’s vision and objectives.
  • Craft shows that highlight the vibrant spirit of our community and embody the core values of our organization.  Let’s showcase the very best of who we are and what we stand for!
  • Implement comprehensive marketing and promotional strategies to drive attendance and enhance the festival’s visibility and reputation.
  • Evaluate the success of the festival through post-event analysis and feedback collection, identifying areas for improvement and innovation.
  • Festival director will have the opportunity to travel to the festival site, a number of months prior to the event with some of their team.

Compensation: $7,000 USD.

Past festival directors and the board are here to cheer you on and help guide you whenever you need it!  While some parts of the festival, like the competitions and shows, are tried and true favorites, there’s also plenty of room for you to toss in your own ideas and make this experience unique!  So, let’s team up and have a blast creating something unforgettable, together!

If you’re excited about the opportunity but not completely sure if this position is right for you, reach out to the IJA Chair at ija.chair@juggle.org.

If you are ready to apply, send an email by October 31, 2026, to ija.chair@juggle.org stating:

  • Why you’d like to be the Festival Director
  • Any experience you have organizing events and volunteers
  • The year(s) you’re interested in
  • New (or old) ideas you would like to bring to the festival and the IJA community

 

 

Planting the Juggling Seed show – call for performers, teachers, and emcee
Benjamin Domask-Ruh

Hello IJA Members and 2026 Festival Attendees!

Planting the Juggling Seed showThis year at the IJA Festival we will once again be presenting the Planting the Juggling Seed show!

This is Benjamin speaking, your IJA Board Chair and the YJA Director!  This is a call for anyone interested in being a volunteer performer, emcee, or teacher!  The first hour is a performance in the library’s theater space.  The second hour is an open and free juggling lesson for anyone in our audience interested in learning!  We are looking for performers, an emcee, and teachers.

Who might be a good fit as a performer?  The idea of this show is to connect with the local community and share a broad overview of all that juggling incorporates: classic toss juggling routines, experimental juggling ideas, flow juggling moments, historical juggling tricks, artistic expression, etc!  If you feel you have a routine or performance that represents one of the many facets of juggling, we would love to hear from you!  You do not have to be a professional full time performer.  But a confident performance piece is welcomed.  Tech will be minimal (simple lighting and sound!)  Professional photos and video will be taken and provided to you!

Who might be a good fit as an Emcee?*  The show is presented as an informational introduction to our world of juggling.  Our hope is to get the audience excited to take a lesson after the show and also come visit us in the gym AND even come to one or more of the big shows in the evenings!  A good emcee might be a teacher, a presenter, someone who has done educational programming or has theater experience.  Someone who is engaging and able to connect with the audience while letting our performers shine and demonstrate what they love about juggling through their performances.  Additionally, this Emcee would be comfortable moderating questions taken from the audience and being ready to answer them!  Professional photos and video will be taken and provided to you!  I will be helping develop the show alongside you as we get closer to the festival.

*Interested in Emcee-ing but not quite sure if you are ready?  Send us a message and let’s talk about it!  We are always interested in fostering curiosity for the future.

Who might be a good fit as a teacher?  Anyone who loves sharing the beginnings of juggling and balance tricks.  Anyone who is patient and encouraging!  The idea of this session is to share the joy and fun facilitated by juggling.  If you have experience teaching juggling?  Wonderful!  If you are new to teaching juggling, come learn alongside us as we invite this new community into the art form.

Don’t feel you are a good fit for any of these roles?  That is okay!  Come join us as an audience member and support your fellow jugglers.

Here are the details.

When: Tuesday, July 28, 2026, 10am – 12pm
Where: Allen County Public Library
Who: The local Fort Wayne community and IJA Festival attendees

If you are interested or would like more information, please contact: Benjamin Domask-Ruh, yja@juggle.org

Thank you so much, and see you at the festival!

 

 

Get your ticket now for the Fort Wayne Walking Tour & Pub Crawl
Mike Sullivan, Advisory Future Festival Site Coordinator

Join in our casual walking tour of all our festival venues and downtown Fort Wayne at 2pm, Monday, July 27, 2026.

You’ll get a look at all our festival venues, including the gorgeous Embassy Theater and the Grand Wayne Convention Center, visit all the new eating and drinking spots close to our festival venues and hotels, plus learn your way around downtown.

Tickets are on sale now, so get yours today and be ready to start the week with new friends and fun while learning your way around Fort Wayne!

We’ll step off about 2pm from the lobby of the Hilton Hotel and cruise through our juggling spaces and the spectacular Embassy.  Then we’ll have a leisurely stroll through downtown, pointing out and stopping into several great (but sometimes hidden!) restaurants and bars.

There’s no shortage of fun, casual and delicious places to eat in downtown, but not all of them are easy to find!  Your guide for the afternoon knows every nook and cranny and has already found the best of the best, so come along for a tour of where you can wet your whistle and satisfy your appetite all week.  Plus, a local Fort Wayne juggler will accompany us for more fun insights on all things Fort Wayne!

Our tour is just $25 per person, and includes three draft pints at stops along the way and check-ins in over a dozen other spots close to our IJA venues.  We’ll wind up at a downtown dinner favorite for an OPTIONAL group dinner with your old and new IJA friends.

Tickets are limited, so make plans NOW to be in town and ready to join our tour early in the afternoon on Monday!  Click here to get your ticket!

NOTE: All participants must be 21 years of age or older to enter the pubs along our route.

 

 

YJA Badge BookThe Juggler's Badge Book

Did you know that the IJA’s Youth Juggling Academy has a book?  It does!

The Juggler’s Badge Book is the ultimate companion for aspiring jugglers of any age!  Track your progress, unlock achievements, and earn badges as you learn the art of juggling.  With its engaging format and rewarding sticker system, The Juggler’s Badge Book makes learning to juggle an exciting and fulfilling adventure.  Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned juggler, let The Juggler’s Badge Book be your guide to skillful juggling and a collection of well-earned accomplishments.  Start achieving your juggling journey today!

The Juggler’s Badge Book is $25 and makes a great gift!  Purchase yours today!  Proceeds go to supporting further YJA initiatives and advancing the IJA’s mission to render assistance to fellow jugglers.

Published by the International Jugglers’ Association in collaboration with Modern Vaudeville Press.

 

 

IJA Board meetingsIJA Board meetings

IJA Board meetings are open to all IJA members and are hosted on Zoom.  To find out the times of this month’s vision and business meetings, or to attend, please email ija.chair@juggle.org and say which meeting you’re interested in.

 

 

Juggling clubs and upcoming juggling festivals

For a list of upcoming juggling festivals, please visit our friends over at The Juggling Edge.

While you’re there, visit their list of juggling clubs.

 

 

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[eNewsletter recommended read: Bobby Jule, the last surviving IJA charter member, passed away in May at age 101.  See his obituary below, by David Cain.]

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