Watching the Pendulum in Portland

“The Europeans come out of angst (like, two world wars, for example) and a deep desire to work artistically, spiritually, to make a statement. Americans grow from our vaudeville roots, and we just want to have fun!”

–Laura Green

Portland, the pearl of Oregon, has been called a European city. The Portland Convention Center, where the IJA Festival materialized, contains another rarity: Foucault’s pendulum. It rotates as it swings, mirroring the earth’s rotation. I enjoyed watching the pendulum swing between the IJA’s event-filled scenario and the EJC’s circus ambiance.

Frida Odden Brinkmann of Norway bounced balls on the marble galaxy beneath the pendulum. She also took Jerome Thomas’ workshop. Throw in a large number of visiting Asian jugglers, an Ukranian circus star, and American know-how from technicians like Matt Hall and Jason Garfield, and you have juggling bliss.

The opening dinner/show was an IJA classic. Perennial entertainer Rhys Thomas led the local talent pool. He attributed its depth to the large juggling club at Reed College. Thomas geared up for his next gig at the Alaska State Fair by sending up mental health, along with a few choice objects.

Festival planners Katje Sabin and Bill Gilliand are an IJA couple en tie-dye who led the Damento mini-fest before taking on the maxi-fest. They and their four children immersed themselves in the IJA’s wacky family (over 600 attended) and came up smiling. They even gave out first-aid kits with the IJA logo.

What could be more IJA than the Juniors Competition, complete with a Christmas tree, which lighted on cue? That and seven balls won second place for Tony Pezzo. William Wei-liang Lin of Taiwan took home the gold. In addition to the medallists, teenager Doug Sayers won two of the numbers competitions and will also be at the World Juggling Federation (WJF) in August. Dorothy Finnigan, a former Juniors medallist, acquitted herself magnificently as last-minute MC.

Artem Khomanko of Kiev won the Lucas Cup. His eye-popping fling included stellar 3-club technique, juggling 4 clubs while bouncing a volleyball on his head, and 5 clubs while balancing a headpiece on which he bounced a ball (repeated on stilts). He also juggled 9 rings on stilts, a feat for which he claims to hold the record, and wowed the crowd with his outgoing performance energy. It was classic vaudeville and traditional circus rolled into one, complete with IJA flags manipulated for a finale.

Michael Karas served notice that the competitions have gone quirky. Karas is a great talent on the American scene, with fine-tuned technique and wonderful performance ideas and abilities. Karas is definitely one to watch, whether in competition, performance or practice. He won a bronze medal and will perform at the Pittsburgh Playhouse this fall. Check Karas’ web site, JUGGLinGsanity, a haven for experimental juggling.

Strange though it sounds, it was as if the EJC came to the IJA on Friday night. This show, which swapped names with the “Cascade of Stars,” was produced by Sky King of Kinetic Juggling and featured guest artists the Mud Bay Jugglers of Olympia, WA, and juggler/choreographer Jerome Thomas of Paris.

The Mud Bay jugglers (Douglas Martin, Alan Fitzthum, and Harry Levine) look a bit like the Flying Karamazov Brothers, but their beards may be even longer. Their theatrically sustained characters and slo mo yet intricate interceptions were wondrous to behold. The Juggling Jollies, Amiel Martin, son of Douglas, Jule McEvoy-Schaefer, and River Mitchelle, added acrobatic pizzazz, culminating in a pyramid of club passing.

Jerome Thomas does not have a beard. He does have an amazing repertoire of tricks and moves, and his performance was eagerly anticipated. Thomas taught an intensive workshop that got rave reviews from students.

The midnight shows began at 11pm and were held on the roof of the local hotel, outside the bar. Acts ranging from Sharita’s belly dancing to Bob Nickerson’s poetry reading rocked the roof. The shows remained high and dry—but not too dry, and only moderately high…Ngaio and rope-spinner Keith Bindlestiff, whose tent show plays New York in the fall, were popular MCs.

Extreme Juggling, organized by Jack Kalvan and Ben Tolpin, was the hot new event in Portland. X challenged the jugglers to perform difficult tricks in isolation. Those braving gravity to be the coolest of the cool included Sean Blue with innovative ball spinning (he also won the 3-ring prop event) and Cate Flaherty with 3-ball stunts (she also won club gathering).

In the Individual Prop Competition, an informal version of the stage competitions, many thought the diabolo event was an IJA best. Excalibur moves (or horizontal play) have caught on. Yohei Ota won the devil stick event in a contest in which the value of flower sticks vs. “real” devil sticks was hotly debated. Ota’s devil stick wheel with rotating hand sticks was also a hit in the stage competition.

The highest concentration of female jugglers in the competitions is still found in teams, as demonstrated by the duo Les Filles and the Taipei Physical Education College quartet. There was one in Juniors: Patty Yi-Chieh Liao of Taiwan with diabolos. The Stanford Juggling Research Institute included a co-ed ensemble, making use of the escalators to elevate their skills yet another notch.

One could also watch former Junior & Senior champ Ryo Yabe working out between gigs in Tokyo. To see more, try the Japan Juggling Festival in October (jjf@juggling.jp). Yabe practiced hoop rolling with Carter Brown, as did team silver medallists The Dew Drop Jugglers. Diabolo duo Vanillatown also competed with a clever and buoyant routine. Allan Jacobs of the Gizmo Guys traded hat tricks with Championships Director Craig Barnes. Heather Marriott led the joggling races.

Ben and Yvette Schoenberg of Serious Juggling were among the vendors; their shop has moved to a new location in Portland. Dave Finnigan put up a “Necrology Board” honoring those recently passed, including Ryder Schwartz. See Alan Howard’s story in the last issue of JUGGLE or austinchronical.com. New Yorker Viveca Gardiner wrote the daily “Portland Report,” including Australian Reg Bolton in memorium.

Judy Finelli was the first female IJA president and founder of the Circus Center in San Francisco. To honor her the IJA arranged a special screening of Trailblazers: Women Who Juggle, which includes some of Finelli’s performances with the Pickle Family Circus. The DVD features diverse artistes from Ilka Licht and Kati Yla-Hokkala to Francoise Rochais and Noelle Franco. There is also rare footage and commentary by Lottie Brunn. After the film, Iman Lizarazu and Lana Bolin joined a squad led by filmmaker Connie Leaverton to pass clubs around Finelli. Wendy Parkman, Finelli’s juggling partner, also attended.

Kumar Pallana, 87, was the IJA’s special guest, winning the Lifetime Achievement Award. His lecture earlier on everything from his beginnings in India to his act on The Ed Sullivan Show and his later work in films (Steven Spielberg’s The Terminal) was captivating. Closing the Farewell Show, Kumar explained the mechanics of tray and plate spinning, rolling a globe on an umbrella and charming the audience with his everlasting appeal. Present in the audience was Bill Dietrich, who attended the first IJA festival in 1948 (think of the angst, the fun, the fools).

Individual Prop cigar box champion Nicholas Flair performed a new act involving acrobatics, mime, and hat manipulation. Peter Panic used his experience working the Edmonton Street Performers’ Festival to create a special routine for IJA audiences. His trademark volleyball routine was impressive as always.

“This man has no visible means of support!” Mr. Panic claimed while riding a tall unicycle. Juggler/comedian Scotty Meltzer directed the show.

Jugglers were encouraged to call NBC TV and vote for Mark Faje, a contestant on America’s Got Talent. Ivan Pecel, who also performed in the Farewell Show, was among the truly talented entrants. And at the time of this writing, The Passing Zone has advanced to the finals. Owen Morse and Jon Wee won the IJA’s “Award of Excellence.” They made a gracious acceptance speech in character and received a well-deserved standing ovation. Sandy Brown won the Extraordinary Service award.

Vova and Olga Galchenko were featured in Time Magazine, and made an appearance on the Today Show in New York. It sounds like they are headed to the WJF in August. Check the Galchenko’s web site for the full story and video.

If Kumar was the oldest juggler in attendance, it seems the youngest was my 5-week-old, Theo. We spent many hours watching the pendulum in Portland, and the jugglers. May the momentum stay with them until the next IJA Festival in North Carolina.

Cindy Marvell, August 2006

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For jugglers, a sphere can be considered the simplest or most complex of objects. Two acts recently challenged limits and created beauty with these objects. Dmitry Chernov, having already won a bronze medal at Cirque de Demain in Paris as a teenager, performed his shaman routine in the Big Apple Circus. Les Objets Volants, a 5-person ensemble that started as a collection of French circus students, won a silver medal at this year’s Cirque de Demain. These contemporary styles ranged from Russian circus expertise gone eccentric to nouveau Gandinism running away with a time-honored circus award.

I caught up with Chernov after seeing his performance of “Juggler Shaman” in New York last December. My 5-year-old and I had to agree this was the best act in the show. Legendary clown Barry Lubin was a ubiquitous presence as Grandma in his last official tour with the BAC; he even came on to interact with the Shaman. But Chernov’s routine literally lit up a show that overall could lack the verve and finesse it had when Paul Binder was directing (this does not apply to every act, some of which were quite expert).

Dmytri Chernov, Big Apple Circus 2011:

Chernov also had the most ingenious costume, complete with lights and pockets all around from which objects conveniently appeared. No need for an assistant; this shaman understands his craft and entertains without exploiting it. Russian jugglers have always been able to handle high numbers of large spheres where most of us would resort to beanbags, and Chernov is no exception. Working with up to 7, he was flawless. Foot catches and acrobatic splits added dimension to the choreography.

Says Dmitry now of the creative process: “That was a long two years of creating the Shaman act, because it was hard to create the idea with pockets and to make juggling tricks with my costume. I’m choreographer and act director, and it was a big experience for me because I was 15 years old.” He acknowledges his parents for their help and guidance. His father, Valentin Chernov, worked in the Great Moscow Circus as part of Oleg Popov’s show in 1991. Two years later, Dmitry himself performed with Oleg Popov.

In 1995, Dmitry and Vanentin performed together with Popov. Since then, Dmitry has become a touring professional in his own right, performing with Neues Theater Hochst in Frankfurt, juggling on the TV show “Le Plus Grand Cabaret du Monde,” and appearing with Favorosi Nagycirkucz in Budapest, the Bolshoi Circus, Circus Conelli, Salon Mondial du Cirque in Paris, and at the Tokyo Dome. He also received the silver medal at the Premiere Rampe Cirque Festival.

Dmitry has also become interested in creating acts for other performers. “I have created an act for another Russian juggler, Dmitry Ikin. The name of the act is Idol.”

Dmitry reflects on his own evolution: “My performing of the Shaman act was much better at the Budapest Festival because I was already 18 years old and I already had much more experience. Paris festival was my first step and at 16 years old, to get a bronze medal was a big pleasure.” He plans to stay with the Big Apple Circus until the end of August. After that, he says he will create a few acts as a director in Moscow and will perform in Dresden, Germany, in December.

As traditional family circus moves into the new circus world, performers with a variety of backgrounds are coming full circle into the ring. Les Objets Volants, an ensemble that started as a collective of French circus students, has been pushing boundaries and crossing borders on the juggling scene. The troupe’s original name was Dropline. The recent cast includes organizer Denis Paumier, Jonas Beauvais, Jonathan Lardinllier, Olli Vuorinen, Malte Peter, and Nicolas Longuechaud.

Paumier recalls that four years ago he proposed a teaching project in the Academie Fratellini near Paris. He was asked to participate in the selection process and recruited three new students. Another joined, and then a year later, another. Paumier says he had an amazing experience working with the ensemble:

“They all had a large culture of juggling and each had a specific style or technique. I could bring them many other teachers to make them try different approaches. They also were able to work as a group, which is my opinion is quite uncommon in the juggling world.” With Paumier directing, the group made several appearances, including one as the opening act at Cirque de Demain in 2010.

Les Objets Volants – Transparences:

Malte Peter writes, “Alongside Denis Paumier, we are taught by Antoni (Antek) Clemm, Bene Borthe, and Ivan L’Impossible. (Sergei Ignatov was also a guest instructor.) Antek focuses on putting juggling on stage, and on working together as a group. Like Denis, Antek attaches great importance to innovation, and the passing patterns that we juggle are influenced by Gandini shows.” (Kaskade, 2010).

Les Objets comes by the Gandini influence honestly. Recently, Paumier performed with Gandini Juggling at London’s National Theater in Night Clubs and other pieces. Paumier had grown attached to working with the student group in France, so he proposed forming a professional company after graduation. The yeses were unanimous so Denis offered to act as producer.

“I contacted Cirque de Demain,” Paumier explains, “and they were interested. We worked as much as we could on the act and we were finally selected. The first version of the act (for the graduation show) was put together quite quickly with simple ideas. Some ideas came from me, some from them, and some came in the moment from nowhere special. I tried my best to give a shape to the whole thing.”

In one strikingly original move, called “the baseball trick,” a line is formed and the juggler at the head springs a line of balls off his wrist to be caught by performers in the line. While site swap is not used so much in this piece, the troupe has used it to generate new material. What takes the Demain piece past a clinical approach to tricks is a sense of movement, particularly facilitated by Beauvais with a nice form. The music is from the French band “Ready Made,” and the song is called “Faniculaire.”

Paumier comments that the act is not a goal in itself; rather, their aim is to make a full show. This has been in progress, and the premiere is scheduled in Reims, where Paumier resides, in January of 2013. In addition to the Demain act, the show will include solo and ensemble work with various props and techniques. Whatever the future holds, these artists are having a ball creating it!

Cirque de Demain, or Circus of Tomorrow, began in order to give young performers a chance to gain recognition on an international stage. Those who consider themselves emerging artists (the exact age limit is subject to interpretation) can apply to perform and might be selected for a host of prizes from circus and variety venues in addition to the medals. To apply for next year’s festival, check http://www.cirquededemain.com/web/index.php?option=com_artforms&formid=3&Itemid=99999

PHOTOS: http://www.dchernov.ru/home.htm Dmytri Chernov

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5muffJxXpME Night Clubs, Gandini Juggling

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2YXhaZOzFM&feature=relmfu Short Balls, Gandini Juggling

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZXAGh2J48A Jonas Beauvais and others

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8yhHFNyFlE Transparencies, Les Objects Volants

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYX3crq0aWY&feature=relmfu Dmytri Chernov, Budapest 2008

The Juggler

A novel by Rachilde. 215 pages soft cover. Available through Rutgers University Press; 109 Church St.; New Brunswick, NJ 08901. $12.95.

The republication of Rachilde’s novel “The Juggler,” now translated into English for the first time since its original publication in 1900, marks a rediscovery of the prolific French author Marguerite Eymery Vallette (known as Rachilde), notorious in her time but eclipsed since. Witty, passionate, and elegantly composed, “The Juggler” weaves together complex theories while maintaining a poetic, mythical quality.

Juggling historians might appreciate the emergence of a new image for the juggler in literature. In Rachilde’s work, juggling keeps its traditional flavor of mystery and exoticism while playing a central role both literally and metaphorically. The aristocratic heroine, Eliante Donalger, is in fact a juggler and amateur performer – possibly the first hobbyist juggler to appear in a work of fiction. Though unusual for a woman in her position, her juggling skills do not exceed the realm of possibility. Her act consists primarily of juggling three daggers, with a dramatic shoulder throw to finish.

“She juggled very simply, but really, with heavy knives, quite sharp, and what would have been ordinary for an artiste at the Folies Bergere or Olympia, seemed amazing for a society woman.” She also performs flamenco dancing with exceptional style and expression (a la Francis Brunn)!

Wrapped in an air of mystery and intrigue, the singular Eliante Donalger dominates the novel as well as Parisian society. The story is actually a prolonged tete-a-tete between the widowed, worldly Eliante and the young, idealistic Leon Reille, a medical student who becomes obsessed with unraveling the secrets of Eliante’s personality. Yet he is almost afraid to learn too much about her past and what it has made her. Loathe to spoil the mysterious power of her attraction by giving away the secrets of her soul, yet dying to pass on her knowledge to a younger generation, Eliante draws out the drama while Leon urges her to perform her finishing trick before she is ready to pass the hat.

Eliante’s avoidance of physical passion is bound up with her artistic desire for immortality, a yearning which increases as her youth fades. During Leon’s first visit, she torments him by claiming to be in love with a life-size alabaster jug which “has stayed young because he has never cried his secret to anyone.”

Eliante’s fantastical imagination leads her to channel her sexual energy into her artistic pursuits – juggling, dancing, writing – and she seems satisfied with platonic relationships when it comes to humans.

“I find it absurd that a man cannot have an intimate chat with a woman… even one he loves.” While feminists might applaud these futuristic speeches, Rachilde leaves many ambiguities, implying that Eliante’s philosophies are self-defeating:

“Love, everywhere love! and she, the great actress, or the great victim of her own juggling, perhaps still did not know what it was, practically speaking. Vibrant and above the earth like a flaming torch consuming itself, she kept it all and yet dreamed of giving it all.” Whether Eliante’s view of love is truly her ideal or just a response to an imperfect society which typecasts women is left for the reader to decide.

Eliante’s juggling act symbolizes both her isolation from the rest of society and her contradictory desire to communicate and entertain. While Leon admires her skillful manipulation of daggers, he laments the fact that they separate her from the rest of society: “…she juggled to please herself. It was as though one could feel another blade both perfidious and passive vibrate in her. She amused herself naively, absolutely, with the unusual pleasure she procured for them, and she needed too the acute desire of the looks focused on her, all the vibration of an atmosphere charged with amorous electricity.”

For Eliante, the act of inspiring love overshadows the details of love-making, and it is in her role as entertainer that she finds the heroic and artistic parts of herself. Eliante goes to bizarre lengths to fulfill her creative desires, leading us on to a macabre conclusion which might leave readers wishing that plastic clubs had been invented 100 years earlier.

Rachilde’s characters are so colorfully drawn that it is easy to lose track of “The Juggler’s” larger pattern, but clearly this is a work of ideas which invites the reader to ponder the balance between love and art, providing rich food for thought though few definite conclusions. The beauty of the language (even in translation) must be experienced first-hand, and the use of juggling contributes much to this highly unusual and inventive novel.

by Cindy Marvell

Reviews / Index, Vol. 43, No. 3 / jis@juggling.org

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