EDITOR’S NOTE: eJuggle publishes this article in the spirit of “rendering assistance to fellow jugglers.” No endorsement is implied by or from the IJA, its Board of Directors, and its officers.
By Neriah Guerin
My name is Neriah Guerin and I am walking from LA to Times Square, juggling the entire distance. I began on June 1st and I intend to finish by December 11th. This project was inspired by similar, long-distance challenges I saw online. Some seek to set a record, break a record, or raise money for a cause. While I am excited by a great many things that can and will come from this project, I have no singular intention. This endeavor is the product of aggressively following my intuition, for better or for worse.
I know that in prop manipulation based art spaces, I’m a relative stranger. I have no recognizable credentials and have only had the opportunity to connect with a small portion of the broader movement arts community. So without too much detail, I’d like to properly introduce myself and share my background with you.
I was drawn to the arts from a young age, first believing that my future was in music. Before long, I realized that I was not a musician so much as I am a performer. I joined my high school Junior Reserve Officers Training Course (JROTC) drill team in my sophomore year and found a lifelong passion. In my junior year, I joined the marching band color guard and indoor season winter guard. While my JROTC drill team was not highly competitive, it gave me the opportunity to develop self-confidence as I built a stronger connection with my physical world. The color guard programs, however, were highly competitive, even among elite classes. Color guard and winter guard was where I learned to spin flags, rifles, sabers, and how to dance. More importantly, it’s where I learned to perform- where I learned to be a performer before a competitor.
After graduating high school, I joined the US Air Force Honor Guard and Drill Team. I participated in rendering funeral honors at Arlington National Cemetery, served as a ceremonial guard for US ambassadors and foreign dignitaries, and worked as a traveling performer for roughly 270 days out of the year. As a member of the drill team, I performed at Madison Square Garden, air shows across the country, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo during the month of the Fringe Festival, and more. Independent of my time in the Air Force, I have continued to participate in the military style rifle exhibition World Drill Championships across all phases. This has, so far, earned me 5 World Titles- One Solo, Three Tandem, One Group.
Aside from the life I have built as a Rifle Flow Artist, I have actively sought spaces to expand my scope of understanding in kinetic artforms. I started spinning fire in 2017. I learned how to juggle in 2020. I started juggling in earnest in 2023. I discovered a circus training facility called The Movement Sanctuary in 2021 and the experiences, lessons, and people I encountered there changed my life permanently.
In 2022, I started a company called Forward Flow. So far, its products center around the rifle spinning arena. However, the products that belong in Flow Arts spaces have allowed me to find a place at events like Flow Fests, the IJA, PlayThink, and more. In this time, I have been learning, connecting, and growing as a creative, artist, professional, and person.
I am a child in a great, big, wide world that I don’t yet understand. I want to meet everybody. I want to call every face in the world of creative arts my friend. I want to collaborate with others to create cool props, amazing events, inspiring performances, and important resources. I want to learn what I don’t know and teach others what I do know. I want to dare greatly and inspire others to do the same. I want to lower the barrier to entry and increase accessibility for prop manipulation based artforms. I want to enable, produce, and encourage every means of sharing the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits of kinetic arts with the largest number of people possible.
But before I change the world, I have to understand my place in it. I must remain a lifelong student and do what I can, when and where I can, with what I have and what I know.
So here I am, walking from one corner of the country to the other, juggling the entire way.
Not because I’m chasing a record or trying to prove something, but because of the intuitive understanding that this is the best thing I can be doing, right now, with what I have and what I know.
That basically covers what brought me to this point. Before I explain what’s next, here’s what I can tell you about the current process:
I walk around 15 miles per day.
I have vehicle support until Kansas and then I’m thru-hiking until Pennsylvania.
I’ll have vehicle support again in the final month.
I keep track of my daily drops, distance traveled, and daily checkpoints.
I post weekly recaps on YouTube and daily videos on Instagram and TikTok.
With any luck, I’ll be able to make money from social media. So far, this trip has only been possible by taking on debt.
Now I’d like to talk about what’s next.
My intention, barring extreme circumstances, is to finish this adventure on December 10th. Then, on December 11th, I intend to host a race in Central Park, Manhattan, that features a 5k, 10k, 15k, and 50 mile ultra-marathon. I will start and finish before every participant and juggle for 50 miles over approximately 17 hours. Throughout the walk, I’m filming a docuseries that can serve as a platform to tell my story, talk to others in juggling and flow arts spaces about their projects, and bring attention to the world of prop manipulation based practices for an audience that isn’t otherwise aware.
These ideas, however, are still in an early stage of development. I have a very small handful of collaborators and I need more if these ideas are going to come to life. I have many of the details, ideas, and logistics accounted for. I just need more hands on deck.
So here’s my call to action:
If you are a servant to the arts and want to help me, please reach out.
If you or someone you know is involved with event production or support within a traveling range of NYC, please reach out.
If you or someone you know is the designer, host, producer, or inventor of any resource, event, or service in the juggling or flow arts space and would like to be featured in the docuseries, please reach out.
My socials are all @MettleBallRun
My email address is Neriah@ForwardFlow.com
My name is Neriah Guerin. I’m walking from LA to Times Square, juggling the entire way. If our paths cross—whether by chance, in person, or online—I hope you’ll walk with me for a while.
I believe that through collaboration and community efforts, we can dare mighty things, face the impossible, and carry the day.
Neriah Guerin is a US Air Force Veteran with 14 years of experience in prop manipulation based arts. As a lifelong student and servant to the arts, Neriah is committed to making a positive impact wherever he finds himself. The article’s title is a play on “Cannonball Run” and “Steel Ball Run,” both about cross-country races, and also refers to demonstrating my mettle.
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