This is a new feature I’m going to do weekly, to share what juggling music I’ve been listening to recently. The song this week is 11h30 by Danger, it has a pretty neat beat and goes through a few phases, which I like to play with. Not a bad song to run to either.
Made this quick juggling video to test out a new setup for recording. The audio was just set in via youtube, but it seemed to match the routine pretty well. I’ll get a new video up that has real music soon though.
I’d say that the number one criteria for any music I listen to is that I have to be able to juggle to it. Juggling to music is fun, it feels more dramatic and matching the music is neat to watch. You juggle in different ways to different types of music: what tricks do you use to match the feeling of slower classical music? What patterns let you keep tempo with electronica/dance music?
One of the reasons juggling is such a great hobby is that you can really do it anywhere. I’ve juggled in public spaces, gymnasiums, boardwalks, beaches, and airport terminals; usually there’s nothing stopping you from doing it. But just because you can do it anywhere, doesn’t mean that all spots are created equal; here are the things I consider when choosing a juggling spot.
The NEW and IMPROVED jugglingjon.com that is. This will be the 5th revision of some kind of jugglingjon.com/net website. The original (which I can’t seem to find an image of) was a pretty spartan white/red design, that I really only hosted funny pictures on.
I’ve been broadcasting some of my juggling practice sessions live via Ustream lately. I thought I may as well post the recorded videos here after I’m done. I post the link to the live broadcast to twitter when I start, in case you want to see the real thing sometime. There’s a few more videos of my practices up on that Ustream page as well.
I’ve never been very interested in numbers juggling. I respect the skill and practice required to juggle 5 or more balls, but it’s never been for me. There’s an element to juggling beyond how many objects are aloft; something more artistic and difficult to quantify. Much like a figure skater who is scored on both their technical skill and artistic display, juggling has a artistic element alongside the technical.
I love 3 ball juggling because of the immense library of complex patterns, the transitions between those patterns, and the spare time available for contact stalls/music beat matching; things which numbers juggling lacks. These are the allowances for interpretation in juggling, the artistic element. So to me, when I do numbers juggling, it feels rote. Half the fun is gone.
So do I even bother with it? Yes, I do. I think of 5 ball juggling as more of a juggling exercise than a pastime in its own right; it’s great for improving your hand speed and consistency. Also, it makes me appreciate 3 ball juggling again. When I practice juggling, I’m always cycling between 3 and 5 ball, and my best 3 ball juggling always happens right after I’ve finished with 5. The change makes you feel free, and more able to appreciate the beauty in what you’re doing.
I recently got some MMX+ juggling balls (which are the nicest I’ve ever used), and while I was figuring out where to store them, I got all of my juggling props out for a picture:
Me juggling with my new silicone juggling balls. It’s probalby the longest video I’ve done, and for that reason it’s not very heavily edited (it would have taken a long time to really sync it up). There are some patterns I’ve never really recorded before in here, including burke’s barrage, mills mess, weave, and boston mess variations. There are a few pretty fancy double throws in there as well.
I don’t go through juggling equipment very fast; every year or two I buy a new set of beanbags (usually from Dube or Todd Smith), and over time I just got used to that equipment and stopped trying different balls. That was until today, when I received a set of silicone juggling balls as a very generous gift.
These things are unbelievable. Just the little weight added on makes them perfect for my style of juggling because they allow me to move a little faster. The grip is also a nice upgrade as well, despite the fact you need to clean them to maintain it (it’s worth it).
Of course the property silicone balls are known for is how consistently they bounce, which is something I’m looking forward to playing with more. Bouncing probably won’t make it into my next video, but the new balls definitely will.
