Thursday, November 25, 2010
Video of a fall from a giraffe unicycle...
All things considered, this fall could have been much worse...
Monday, November 15, 2010
The LaSalle Brothers
Fake Grenade juggler causes a stir?
A SF juggler performing at Fisherman's Wharf caused quite a stir with a "fake grenade" used as a juggling prop. I'd love to know who this was. Anyone know? Please post here, if you do. Click here to read the story.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Kit Summers
Perry Romanowski on Joggling....
Perry Romanowski recently gave a "Pecha Kucha" style speech on the benefits of Joggling. Click here to view a video of it.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Robert "The Butterfly Man" Nelson
For those of you unaware of the situation, Robert is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatment for Cancer. He is fighting the good fight on the big island of Hawaii. My good friend and international stilt performer, Martin Ewen, is hanging with Robert and posting occasional reports on the situation...
If you know, love or have been inspired by Robert in anyway, please send your thought, your prayers, and you positive healing vibrations his direction. He is fighting a good fight, but he can use all the help and extra energy that can be mustered. We're all thinking about you and looking forward to a speedy recovery Robert.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Bindlestiffs in NY Times...
Monday, September 27, 2010
The Flying Karamazovs on Letterman all this week.
That's right. You read it right. The Flying Karamzov Brothers will be appearing on The Late Show with David Letterman every night this week 9/27 - 10/1. Tune in to see what kind of fun they will have in store for the viewing public.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Gig opportunity for NY area "non Union" juggler
Normally do not post gigs here, but this one came across my news feed, so I figured that I would include it in case any NY jugglers read it... from Craig's List.
Looking for a Juggler who is any ethnicity, age range 20 to 40 who can juggle balls, knives, pins, etc.
Japanese film shooting next Friday Oct 1st, (raindate Tues Oct 5th). Must be avail all day.
Rate is $250 for 12 hours. Must have good "juggler" clothes and provide own juggling equipment (balls,
knives, pins, whatever you can juggle).
MUST BE NON UNION, MALE OR FEMALE.
Submit one photo to:
cnelson1125@gmail.com
Include contact number, height, weight and age range.
Subject line should say "Juggler".
Japanese film shooting next Friday Oct 1st, (raindate Tues Oct 5th). Must be avail all day.
Rate is $250 for 12 hours. Must have good "juggler" clothes and provide own juggling equipment (balls,
knives, pins, whatever you can juggle).
MUST BE NON UNION, MALE OR FEMALE.
Submit one photo to:
cnelson1125@gmail.com
Include contact number, height, weight and age range.
Subject line should say "Juggler".
Hilby "The Skinny German Juggling Boy"
Hilby performs a very funny comedy juggling act and is a very likable character, both on stage and off. I have had the pleasure of working with Hilby in the past, and am happy to count him among one of my friends. If you are nearby, do not miss this show. It will be lots of fun.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Kris Kremo
Kris Kremo
I just heard thru the grapevine that Kris Kremo is appearing at The Big E, in Springfield, Mass Sept 17th - Oct 3rd.
I have played this event before and it is one humdinger of a fair. It'd be worth the trip just to see the fair, but to see the legendary Kris Kremo, well... there's really no excuse.
The Handsome Little Devils
The HLD will be headed East for a show, off Broadway, at the New Victory Theater. They are currently trying to raise funds online to help fund the project. Click here to link to the donations page.
If you would like to purchase tickets or perhaps support them by attending one of their performances. Click here for the online story out of Denver.
You can also go to the website for The New Victory Theater for info.
Man shot while watching a Juggler's show.
Read this headline on the internet today and thought to myself... "this would certainly end the show with a Bang". I wonder who the unfortunate juggler was who had this happen during his or her street show. If anyone from the area knows anymore about this story, please post it here.
Gizmo Guys
The Gizmo Guys, Barrett Felker and Alan Jacobs, will be appearing in Batavia, NY. Just click here to link to an online story along with information on the venue and where to purchase tickets. Barrett and Alan present a very fun and polished show that is always a lot of fun for the whole family.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Dan Bennett and Senator Gore...
Stumbled across this video of what looks to be Dan Bennett using Senator Al Gore as a volunteer for a bit. Click here to view the video on Youtube.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
To cleanse the palate...
In light of me posting the rare "negative" review of The Flying Karamazov Brothers show 4PLAY currently playing at The Minetta Street Theater, I figured that I should post some links to the countless "positive" reviews of the show. Hopefully this will serve as a "review sorbet" to cleanse the palate of that l
Of course, I cannot claim total objectivity here, as TFKB are kind of the reason that I am a professional juggler to begin with. They were a string influence and inspiration to me as a beginning juggler. Keep up the great work guys.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
A not so good FKB review...
Yikes!!! This critic did not care for The Flying Karamazov Brothers, 4PLAY, it seems, Click here to read this review. Oh well, what can you do? You can't please all the people all the time?
Monday, August 23, 2010
Karamazov Brothers back in the NYC...
That's right, The Flying Karamazov Brothers' show 4Play is back at the Minetta Lane Theater in NYC and receiving rave reviews from everyone. From the website...
"With their unique blend of music, comedy, dance, theater, and juggling that is sure to dazzle young and old alike, come marvel the The Flying Karamazov Brothers, New York's favorite lunatics at the apex of their ambidextrous and alliterative ability. Their show is a combination of humor, both physical and verbal, ranging from high brow to low brow to mono brow. Come watch the Flying K's as they prove with each performance that chaos and unexpected events in our lives are the best part of being human."
Thursday, August 12, 2010
A little shameless self promotion...
Saturday night September 4 starting at 7:00 is the Vaudeville Extravaganza, this year featuring many great acts this year. Click here for more info on the show.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
$1,000,000.00 donation to the IJA
It was recently announced that an anonymous donor has offered $1,000.000.00 to the IJA. It will come in the form of $50,000 payments annually for 20 years. Of this $50,000: $5000 must be used for the newly established Education programs, $20,000 must be spent annually on enhancing the convention and it must be spent on bringing something new or a new element to the convention and not on normal operating expenses, $25,000 of the annual payment cannot be spent and must go into an interest bearing account and cannot be spent for 20 years. Looks like the IJA's money problems are over for now. Thanks to this donor whoever/wherever you are for saving the IJA's financial woes.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Fred Garbo as Dexter the Juggling Muppett...
(who is actually the hands of Fred Garbo)
Dexter was a large monster juggler on Sesame Street. According to his performer, Kevin Clash, he was Sesame's "most spectacular failure."
Clash discussed the experience (referring to the character as "Juggles the Juggler") in My Life as a Furry Red Monster:
I puppeteered the head of the character and we found a talented artist named Fred Garbo to do the juggling while squatting under the camera's frame. Talk about tough! Trying to coordinate Fred's actions was next to impossible. Fred was the best, but this was asking too much. We spent most of our time in rehearsal rounding up dropped balls, stumbling over one another, and flubbing lines of dialogue - just try concentrating on what you're saying when you've got balls flying around your head. |  |
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
The oldest known recording/film of a juggler?...
(This is a repost from my juggling partner Alfresco Fettucini aka Mike Heidtman from an online forum)
A friend of mine from Michigan (Zeemo) was friends and neighbors with a man named Art Stephans who was the president of the Ann Arbor Silent Film Society. Art gave my friend this film which is reportedly the oldest known recording/film of a juggler known to exist. It was filmed in France around 1907 - 1908. My friend has reproduced it digitally and has posted it on youtube for all to see.Ladies & Gentleman, I introduce to you for your enjoyment, "Maniac Juggler".
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Gandini Juggling
This just in from Sean Gandini...Hello Fellow Jugglers
We are doing a week long residency outdoors at the National Theatre's
Watch this space festival in London, many shows, many guests and a couple
workshops specially for jugglers. Everything is free!
The week will include a specially made 10 juggler piece, guest shows,
gandini repertory...
Full schedule
http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/?lid=58530
Vimeo from last year
http://www.vimeo.com/6628918
http://www.vimeo.com/6606252
http://www.vimeo.com/6461353
I hope some of you can make it!
Sean Gandini
We are doing a week long residency outdoors at the National Theatre's
Watch this space festival in London, many shows, many guests and a couple
workshops specially for jugglers. Everything is free!
The week will include a specially made 10 juggler piece, guest shows,
gandini repertory...
Full schedule
http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/?lid=58530
Vimeo from last year
http://www.vimeo.com/6628918
http://www.vimeo.com/6606252
http://www.vimeo.com/6461353
I hope some of you can make it!
Sean Gandini
Monday, June 28, 2010
Fritz Grobe and Stephen Volz to appear on Letterman...
I just read via Fritz's Facebook page that they will be making an appearance on The Letterman Show this Tuesday night (6/29) and on The Early Show on Wednesday (6/30). Check it out.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Joggler makes the news...
Perry Romanowski, of Lemont, IL, was featured in a story in The Lemont Reporter.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Happy World Juggling Day
June 19th is World Juggling Day. If you know how to juggle, you should make it a point to juggle at some point. Even better, teach someone to juggle today who does not already know how. I will be celebrating by juggling and performing at a private party this evening.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Paul Phariss in the news...
Paul Phariss was also featured in the local newspaper recently, while kicking off a Summer Reading Season at the local library. The Tahlequah Daily Press ran a nice story featuring Paul.
Brian Wendling in the news...
Brian Wendling was featured in a story in The Topeka Capital-Journal recently performing his Summer Reading Library Shows.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Cool Post Card of Francis Brunn, found in Paris...
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Blog Neglect...
Hello Folks (if there is anyone who reads this):
First of all, let me apologize up front for not keeping the blog up for the last 3 months. There was a very slow period with juggling news, I got lazy, then I got busy... in addition to realizing how difficult it can be to try and keep up with writing, or blogging on a regular basis. I am going to give this another effort. I am curious as to who and how many folks are actually tuning into here. Please feel free to post comments or sign up as a follower. It is the only way that I have any indication of whether or not people are reading this stuff.
Thanks for your time and thanks for tuning in.
Steve aka Alfredo Fettucini
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
IJA & WJF
This year the IJA's annual juggling convention, which is happening in Sparks NV 7/26 - 8/1 is going to be the week after and in the same geographic area of the WJF juggling convention. The WJF will be holding their event on 7/20 - 7/25 in Las Vegas. I am thinking that this is a great thing for jugglers. I have never really desired to attend a WJF convention for a few reasons. Mainly, cost, time and location. I already attend 1 or 2 juggling festival every year and therefore usually can not afford to take time off from performing to attend even more non paid events. However, the another reason has been the fact that the WJF conventions were a little too strict and stringent with all of their rules combined with the fact that I am more of a fan of performance based juggling and not such a big fan of sports juggling. It appears that the WJF has decided to change the format of their festivals, loosen a lot of the silly rules and to actually open up a competition to artistic or performance based acts. Smart move, I think. Sadly, for me, I am not going to be able to attend the IJA festival this year. I have bookings and family conflicts that will prevent me from attending any festivals in the month of July. But, if I were available and was planning to go to the IJA this year, I would certainly be planning on doing the WJF too. What a great opportunity to do two festivals on back to back weeks, in the same area and, as a bonus, you get to go see some Las Vegas acts while you are there. Of all the years to have to miss a convention, I am sorry that this is the year for me. I wish both organizations the best and I hope that they are both well attended. I can't wait to hear the reports.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Michael Moschen in NYC on April 17th
Michael Moschen combines the magic of light and movement to transcend object manipulation from novelty to a true art form. He blends the rich beauty of art, science, physics, and mathematics in a show of fantastic feats and illusions. Michael has been critically acclaimed by such leading media as The Los Angeles Times and The New York Times who have called his work "genius," "exhilarating virtuoso entertainment," and "flawless purity."
Considered unequaled in the world of juggling, Mr. Moschen has taken his talents around the world with theaters, dance festivals, and circuses; made international television appearances; and was commissioned by Cirque du Soleil to create and stage a new work for their permanent theatrical circus at the Treasure Island Hotel Casino in Las Vegas.
"Nobody else does what Michael Moschen does… he makes the impossible look easy."
– Entertainment Tonight
The only variety artist ever to receive a MacArthur Genius Grant, Michael Moschen is the kind of performer that comes around just once in a lifetime. It is this remarkable artistry that Michael brings to his one-man show; a show so captivating, so universal, that no matter age nor ethnicity, audiences the world over will never forget the illusion-like juggling of Michael Moschen.
Skirball Center for the Performing Arts
566 Lagurdia Place (at Washington Square South)
New York, NY 10012
More Information and Purchase:
skirballcenter.nyu.edu/calendar/michael_moschen
Monday, March 1, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Gatto on ESPN2 today
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Vegas Juggling Group
A gathering of great juggling talent in Las Vegas...
In going thru some of my old files and images recently, I came across this one that was emailed to me from my juggling partner's brother, Joel Heidtman. I forget the details on the date or specific event where this powerhouse gathering of juggling talent occurred. From what I remember it was for some big corporate gig in Las Vegas where they all worked together. Perhaps someone reading this post will know the details and post them in the comments.
Top row, L to R: Dick Franco, Mike Godeau, Allan Howard, Joel Heidtman, Steve August and Ivan Pecel. Bottom row, L to R: Brian Earle, Jon Wee, Owen Morse (The Passing Zone) and Michael Marlin
Thursday, February 18, 2010
New York Times reviews The FKB
The FKB continue to receive rave reviews on their NYC run at The Minetta Street Theater. Click here for the latest review from The New York Times.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Fast Track To Fame
A new Speed Channel based talent show is looking for novelty/variety acts. Above is a flyer that announces the dates and locations they will be taping. They are looking for acts with "down home attitude and heartland appeal". I spoke with one of the producers recently and it sounds like it might be a good opportunity to get your act exposed to a wide audience as The Speed Channel and NASCAR are quite popular. However, this is new show and therefore I cannot vouch for the quality of the production of how the acts will be presented. I am merely helping the producer out by getting the word out amongst some of the variety performer community. I did not get into discussing a lot of the details from the producer but I imagine that a lote of your questions will be answered by clicking on the title of this entry and going to the show's website. Good luck!(Click on the thumbnail of the flyer above to open a large version for reading)
Randy Judkins
Randy will be teaching a Circus Arts Class at Stephens College in Columbia, Mo.
(Thanks Zeemo for this link)
Flying Karamazov Bros. show review
The FKB show, running currently at the Minetta Lane Theater in NYC thru March 7 was just reviewed in the NY Daily News.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Gatto on The Ellen Show this Thursday 2/4
Anthony recently announced that he will be appearing on The Ellen Show this Thursday 2/4. This makes the 3rd or 4th juggler that has been on there in the last month or so. Nice that Ellen's producers are showing so much attention to jugglers and variety performers.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
The Acrobuffos in New Zealand
Seth and Christina Gelsone were recently featured in an article while appearing at The World Buskerfest in Christchurch New Zealand. I have had the pleasure of working with The Acrobuffos on my two trips to perform in China. They are not only one of my favorite street acts, but they also happen to be very nice people. Great press guys!
World Buskerfest Update...
...got off to a rainy start, but the weather has let up now and the shows are rolling along. I just chatted with Dan Holzman this morning and got his personal report/update on how things are going. Dan reports that now that the weather is cooperating, they are having huge crowds, fun shows and he is having a great time hanging out with all of the other performers. The festival runs through January 31st.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Jack Kalvan on The Ellen Show tomorrow
Word is out that Jack will be juggling on The Ellen Show tomorrow 1/27. I do not know details.
Luke Burrage
Luke has been staying busy performing on cruise ships while sailing on the high seas. He has put together a very fun and adventurous video of him juggling at some of the many places that he has visited around the world in the past year. If you'd like to keep up with Luke and see where he will be performing...Luke, and his video was also recently featured in a story in The Northern Echo titled, "Juggler Luke is Lord of the Flings"
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Juggling in an Opera
Hey, what's the sense in having a blog if you cannot indulge in a little shameless self-promotion from time to time?
Tonight is opening night in The Belk Theater of The Blumenthal Performing Arts Center of Charlotte, NC, where I will be juggling with Opera Carolina and The Charlotte Symphony in their production of Pucccini's "La Boheme" (which, by the way, in English is "The Boheme")
This will be my 3rd time performing as a supernumerary (a non singing role) in an opera. I have a number of other juggling friends who have also had this opportunity, as well. If you ever get the chance to do this, I highly recommend that you take advantage of it. There is nothing quite on the scale of Opera and to be a part of something so large is quite exciting and stimulating as a performing artist. Being on such a large stage and juggling amongst a huge cast of beautiful voices with a full symphony orchestra playing in the pit is something that I have only experienced with Opera in my over 20 years performing.
If you happen to live near or close to a professional full time Opera company, make sure that you drop them a call or an email and let their production coordinator know what your skills are and that you are interested in any supernumerary roles that might fit your skill set. You will have a very fun time and an experience that looks pretty good on your resume.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Gavin Schmidt, Secret Life of Scientists, On PBS
Gavin Schmidt
Thanks to Ben Schoenburg for posting this on Facebook. A mini profile on Nova of NY juggler, unicyclist and NASA Climatologist, Gavin Schmidt
Street Performers Take Note...
This just in from My friend Zeemo...
Forwarded from Susan Dunbar
Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
After 3 minutes: a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.
4 minutes later: The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw the money in the hat without stopping and continued to walk.
6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.
10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly..
45 minutes: The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money, but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.
1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
Findings; No one knew this, but:
· The violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world,
· He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written,
· With a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.
· Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theatre in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each.
This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the Metro Station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment aboutperception, taste, and people's priorities.
The questions raised: "In a common place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?"
One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made... How many other things are we missing?
Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
After 3 minutes: a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.
4 minutes later: The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw the money in the hat without stopping and continued to walk.
6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.
10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly..
45 minutes: The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money, but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.
1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
Findings; No one knew this, but:
· The violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world,
· He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written,
· With a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.
· Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theatre in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each.
This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the Metro Station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment aboutperception, taste, and people's priorities.
The questions raised: "In a common place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?"
One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made... How many other things are we missing?
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Flying Karamazov Bros. in NYC for a 1 month stand
The FKB will be performing their new show "4PLAY" at the Minetta Lane Theater in NYC from Feb 8th - March 7th.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
A typical Google News Alert for the word "Juggling"
This is a typical example of the Google News Alerts that I get for the word "juggling". The hits do not have anything to do at all with actual juggling, just the use of the word "juggling" as a metaphor or a euphemism. Sometimes I feel like the word for what we do has been hijacked, and overused. But then, maybe I am overreacting.
Google News Alert for: juggling
| Like juggling hot potatoes? Manila Bulletin He likened the burden of presidential responsibility to that of a juggler, “juggling at least 10 hot potatoes and your feet are not on the ground as ... See all stories on this topic | ||
| O'Malley looking to boost Bay trust fund? Baltimore Sun (blog) While cutting and juggling to close a massive $2 billion budget gap, could Gov. Martin O'Malley be planning to ask the General Assembly to increase funding ... See all stories on this topic | ||
The Canadian Press "I don't think it has a lot to do with me juggling the lines," McLellan said. "I just think they got it going, and it's going their way right now. ... See all stories on this topic | ||
SkySports Middle-distance runner Steph Twell is juggling the demands of study with preparations for the new season and her role as one of Team GB's 'Face of 2012'. ... See all stories on this topic | ||
| How to Play Governor NBC Washington By JIM HANDLY If you are good at juggling big numbers, a Maryland nonprofit wants you to visit their Web site. The group's mission is to raise civic ... See all stories on this topic | ||
| Teresa Sullivan is the first female president to lead University of Virginia Washington Post ... as a highly regarded scholar-administrator, capable of juggling senior administrative posts while pursuing research on the sociology of financial ruin. ... See all stories on this topic | ||
| Monica is 'Still Standin... Eurweb.com And if it could help to illuminate things for her fans, regarding juggling life in the music business, it was all worth it. On another note, because music ... See all stories on this topic | ||
| Rumor: Apple January 27 Tablet Event Could Introduce iPhone 4.0 OS Art of the iPhone (blog) Juggling three multitouch devices—the iPhone, iPod touch, and now the tablet—will surely complicate matters for Apple, but I wouldn't put it past Steve Jobs ... See all stories on this topic | ||
| HBO takes four Golden Globe awards The Sun Daily Also catch Toni Collette as a suburban mother juggling her family and career while suffering from a multiple identity disorder in United States of Tara ... See all stories on this topic |
Tip: Use a plus sign (+) to match a term in your query exactly as is. Learn more.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)