Here’s a selection of patterns for five people standing in a circle, as shown in the above diagram. There is one walking pattern at the end. I’ll start with two well known patterns and the remaining patterns are variations or combinations of those patterns. I’ve described a lot of the patterns here in terms of three count, if you don’t pass three count (you should learn it), you can do essentially the same patterns in four count.
Three count star
Everyone passes on three count. Throw your right hand passes to the person opposite you on the right, and your left hand passes to the person opposite you on your left. In this pattern it’s beautiful how the clubs miraculously miss each other in the middle of the pattern – providing you get the timing right, and you’re standing in the right positions!
The passes in the three count star are not exchanges. You don’t receive a pass from the person you’re passing to. In patterns like this, everyone should concentrate on throwing their passes accurately, so the person receiving the pass doesn’t have to work too hard to catch it. Ask your partners where they want the pass. Different people will give different answers!
Here’s the causal diagram for the three count star:
If you do this pattern in four count, the passes to the left are more collision prone, so you have to be more accurate with the timing and positions.
Three count feast
Everyone passes on three count, passing to everyone in turn, including themselves. For the first pass Adam passes with Brenda, and Chris passes with Ed. Diane starts by ‘passing’ to herself. Each subsequent pass is with the next person in the circle in a clockwise direction. The feast is also known as the Boston Circle. The following diagram shows the passes. 
Here’s the animation:
In the animation:
- the red club is always passed to the person diagonally opposite on the right;
- the yellow club is always passed to the person diagonally opposite on the left with the right hand, and passed to the person on the immediate right with the left hand;
- the purple club is always passed to the person diagonally opposite on the left with the left hand, and passed to the person on the immediate right with the right hand;
- the green club is always passed to the person on the immediate left with the right hand, and always thrown as a self with the left hand;
- the blue club is always passed to the person on the immediate left with the left hand, and always thrown as a self with the right hand.
Here’s the causal diagram for the feast:
In this diagram I have left out the hand labels. This is because when the pattern repeats, it starts with the left hand. You can assume that at the start everyone starts right handed, and they alternate their throws right, left, right, left,…
The moveable feast weave is a very nice walking pattern based on this feast. It’s described in the article on five person weaves.
Hayley’s comet
This is a cross between the three count feast and the four person pattern, the trapeze. In the feast, on each passing beat there are four people passing. They are stood in a trapezium formation. In this pattern, instead of making parallel passes along the long and short edges of the trapezium, you pass with the person at the opposite corner of the trapezium. The following diagram shows the passes.
Here’s the animation:
Here’s the causal diagram for the Hayley’s comet:
Once again, in this diagram, I have left out the hand labels, as the pattern repeats with the left hand.
Selfless three count feast star
This is a cross between the three count feast and the three count star. Everyone passes on three count, passing to everyone in turn, but not themselves. The first pass for everyone is to the person on your immediate left. Each subsequent pass is with the next person in the circle in a clockwise direction. Note that in this pattern the passes are not exchanges. So everyone should concentrate on throwing their passes accurately, so the person receiving the pass doesn’t have to work too hard to catch it.
Here’s the causal diagram for the selfless feast:
Count-up feast
In this pattern everyone passes:
- one count to the person on the left;
- two count to the person diagonally opposite on the left;
- three count to the person diagonally opposite on the right;
- four count to the person on the right;
- and then the pattern repeats.
Everyone starts at a different part of the pattern. Adam starts at the start of the sequence. Brenda starts with the four count pass. Chris starts with a self and then the three count pass. Diane starts with two self throws and then the one count pass. Ed starts with two self throws and then the four count pass.
In the animation for each juggler:
- the one count pass is always the colour of the person on their right;
- the two count pass is always the colour of the person diagonally opposite on the right;
- the three count pass is always the colour of the person diagonally opposite on the left;
- the four count pass is always the colour of the person on their left.
Here’s the causal diagram for the count-up feast:
Five person quasar (countdown feast)
In this pattern everyone passes a countdown from four count, passing to everyone in turn. Whenever you pass on three count, the next pass is to the same person. Otherwise, each subsequent throw is to the next person in the circle in a clockwise direction. There are no ‘passes’ to yourself in this pattern. Here are the passes for the whole pattern:
- one count pass to the person diagonally opposite on the left;
- two count pass to the person diagonally opposite on the right;
- three count pass to the person on the right;
- four count pass to the person on the right;
- three count pass to the person on the left;
- two count pass to the person on the left;
- and then the pattern repeats, with the other hand.
Everyone starts at a different part of the pattern. Adam starts at the start of the sequence. Brenda starts with the three count pass to the right. Chris starts with the four count pass. Diane starts with a self and then the three count pass to the left. Ed starts with a self and then the two count pass to the left. Note that in this pattern the passes are not exchanges. So everyone should concentrate on throwing their passes accurately, so the person receiving the pass doesn’t have to work too hard to catch it.
In the animation, for each juggler:
- the one count pass is a grey club;
- the two count pass to the right is the colour of the person on the immediate right;
- the three count pass to the right is light blue;
- the four count pass is black;
- the three count pass to the left is your colour;
- the two count pass to the left is the colour of the person immediately on the left.
Here’s the causal diagram for the selfless feast:
Once again in this diagram I have left out the hand labels, as the pattern repeats with the left hand.
Inverted bookends star
In this pattern, everyone passes inverted bookends to the two people diagonally opposite them. Inverted bookends is pass self pass self self. Everyone starts at a different throw in the sequence. Adam starts with the first pass. Brenda starts with the first self. Chris starts with the second pass. Diane starts with the second self. Ed starts with the last self.
Here’s the causal diagram for the inverted bookends star:
Neutron star
The neutron star is a right handed variation of the inverted bookends star. Everyone alternates four count and six count passing to the two people diagonally opposite them. Everyone starts at a different throw in the sequence. Adam starts with the first pass. Brenda starts with the second self. Chris starts with the second pass. Diane starts with the fifth self. Ed starts with the seventh self.
Here’s the causal diagram for the neutron star:
Moving neutron star
This is a walking pattern based on the neutron star. Mark out a square on the ground. When you are at a corner of the square you pass with someone at another corner of the square. When you walk along the side of the square you juggle four count. On each side you loop back on yourself to walk along that side again. When you walk along the loop you juggle six count. After walking along the side a second time (juggling four count), you take another loop, which goes to the other side of the square. Once again you juggle six count on this loop. Then the pattern repeats on the other side.
The following diagrams show the passes in black and the movement in grey.
Note that the last figure 5 is just like figure 1, but now Adam has taken on Ed’s role, Brenda has taken on Adam’s role, Chris has taken on Brenda’s role, Diane has taken on Chris’s role, and Ed has taken on Diane’s role.
* Animated gifs were created using JoePass. Here are the pattern files in zip format.
