HOW JUGGLING WORKS - THE SCIENTIFIC ANSWER m ON YER UNI, SAYS SEM m LASSO WORKSHOP - YIPPEE~ m JUGGLING ON THE FRONT LINE m DOES VARIETY HAVE A FUTURE?

56, Islington Park Street,

London. N1 1PX

Tel: 071-354-5660 Fax: 071-704-8228 & tel.

In this issue Juggling on the Front Line Phil and Stuart in Saudi Arabia . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Juggling with the Laws of Physics . . . . . . . . 6

Beard Enterprises . . . ., . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Book Reviews 491 Patterns for the Solo Juggler . . . . . ..... l 0 Talking about Acrobatics ...•..•... . ... 11 Oldenburg Documentation and Video ...•... l l

Workshop Unicycling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 The Lasso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

The Stars of Tomorrow Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain ...... 19

The Spice of Life Kaskade/Chapeau-Claque Prize ......... 20 The Future of Variety . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 23 The Glorious History of Variety ........... 24

Convention Calendar 1991 ........... 26

What Else is On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Variety programmes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Tour Dates ........ .. ............ 30 Workshops. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Festivals ....................... 31

Letters . ...................... 32

Odds & Sods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

small Ads . .................... 34

Meetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Editorial ....................... 38

Subscriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

. Cover Photo: Les Mandragores, Photo: Bohman J.-Borger See Page 20

Copy Deadline for No.21: 15February1991

KASKADE - European Juggling Magazine PUBLISHED AND EDITED BY Gabi & Paul Keast, Annastr . 7, W-6200 Wiesbaden Germany, Tel.: 061 l 425938

ISSN 0939-1371 APPEARS QUARTERLY PRICE DM 4 (£1 .30) per copy, subscription DM 20 (£6)

BANK ACCOUNTS: Postglroamt Frankfurt, Bank Code (BLZ) 500 100 60, Account No. 5541 45-609 Nassauische Sparkasse, ZugspitzstraBe, Wiesbaden (BLZ) 51 O 500 15, account No. 111 152 438

PRINTED BY W. Lendle, Hundsgasse 8, Wiesb .-Erbenheim

Entertainment and War

Juggling on the Front line

At the risk of opening old wounds that were sustained in the 'juggling and politics" debates some issues back, Kaskade turn its attention once again to the "real world" in which juggling takes place. At the time of writing, war is being waged on a massive scale, and more bomb ton­nage has already been dropped on Iraq than fell on Europe during the entire Second World War.

So what does that have to do with jugglers, or entertainers in general? Well, for many performers in Ger­many, it has meant financial disaster. The general mood among promoters has been that public merriment is somehow unseemly if such a serious thing as a war is taking place. This has resulted not only in Carnival be­ing cancelled this year - a major source of work for some performers -but also many other functions and events.

If people are also seeing less live entertainment in Britain, this is a consequence not so much of the war as of the economic recession, which

events. According to Nazi propa­ganda, these shows - precisely be­cause of their non-political content and also their relative flexibility (compared with other forms of the­atre) - were ideally suited to keeping up morale both on the home front and among the troops.

It appears that the British army re­cruited most of its entertainers from within the ranks, and many of the "amateurs" of the wartime stages be­came the household names of TV and radio in the fifties, sixties and beyond. On a lower level, the boom in busking in the post-war years was a reflection of the number of men returning home and finding them­selves unable or unwilling to reinte­grate themselves into normal civilian life. For many de-mobbed service­men (and a few women), civvy street meant street performing.

has cut the budgets of events orga­nizers and potential audiences alike. But of course, the phenomenal cost of war is hardly likely to ease that recession in the coming months.

The 4 Liedtkes; The Haus-Vaterland-Artists performing for wounded soldiers in a field hospital, July 1940. Photo:

Unlike the Second World War, the present conflict is taking place a long way away from Western Europe. Keep your TV switched off (if it weren't for all those juggling videos, you'd throw it away for good, wouldn't you?!) and you wouldn't know anything unusual was happen­ing. But some performers have Das Variete, Wolfgang Jansen, Edition Hentrich, p.243

War is also affecting the content of show programmes in which jugglers are appearing. In the British clubs, especially on the "alternative cabaret" scene, stand­up comedians are making the most of this topical subject matter to tell more or less humourous stories coupled with social comment. There is a danger that audi­ences will become sick of hearing about it, especially in view of the media overkill. At any rate, they are more likely to greet a "non-political, non-topical" juggling act as welcome relief.

Looking back in history, it is interest­ing to see how the world of variety en­tertainment was shaken by war to an even greater extent than other walks of life. In 1914 Germany, for example, all

contracts were cancelled and variety the­atres were closed when war broke out, leaving artists without any source of in­come, not even social insurance. As it became clear that the war would not be over in a matter of months, and the need of the population for distraction grew, theatres gradually began to open up again. Variety, which had been in decline thanks to the competition of cinema, was given a new lease of life which lasted well into the Roaring Twenties. Even during the hectic days of the German Revolution of 1918, theatres were always packed. In the Second World War, opportunities for variety performers often took the form of state-run "Strength through Joy"

experienced life on the front line at first hand. Were they supporting the war ef­fort, or were they just providing a service to other human beings? What would you do?

Since 1946, the job of entertaining British troops has been organized by Combined Services Entertainments. They have sent performers out to all corners of the globe where British soldiers have been involved in military conflicts great and small: Kenya (during the Mau Mau uprisings), Korea, Singapore, Northern Ireland, Belize and the Falklands. And back in December, before the Gulf War actually hotted up, they sent a party of showbiz celebrities to Saudi Arabia - and a couple of "unknowns" going under the

21/Kaskade 3

EnJerlainmenJ and War

Juggling on the Front Line Phil and Stuart in Saudi Arabia

unlikely name of "The Norfolk Mountain Rescue A-Team". In civilian life, The Norfolk Mountain Rescue A-Team are Phil Tomlinson and Stuart Ashman from Bristol. They are, in their own words, not "jugglers' jugglers", so you may never have heard of them, or noticed them at conventions. But they were there. In fact, Stuart was the brains behind the 1989 British Convention in Bath.

Between 26.11. and 8.12.90 they per­formed 13 shows in all, and were seen by no less than three-quarters of the 12,000 troops stationed out in the wilderness, waiting for the fireworks to begin. The party was also taken by helicopter to

4 Kaskade/21

reach the more remote troops who couldn't actually see a show, and rather than just shake hands and sign auto­graphs, Phil and Stuart decided to turn these visits into (literally) flying work­shop sessions. They were surprised to find that there were already quite a few closet jugglers in the army.

So when it came to performing, they were pleased to be in front of an "educated" audience. Three of the shows took place in the desert, with an average audience of 2000 each time. It was a very bizarre situation, Phil recalls, seeing the men emerge as if from nowhere out of their foxholes to see a show. Everyone had to say a password to get in - "real

cloak-and-dagger stuff' - but the show nearly didn't go on because the organizers had neglected to tell Phil and Stuart what the password was!

The other shows took place in theatres, some of which ranked among the most fantastic facilities that Phil and Stuart had ever performed in. The strange thing was that, believe it or not, these theatres had never been used. The religious strictness of Saudi Arabian society forbids all forms of popular entertainment, which makes you wonder why these places were ever built in the first place. All the artists were therefore confined to Western enclaves, hid­den from view of the Saudis for fear of causing offence, which was quite a difficult logistic exercise in itself. It was pretty weird perform­ing in theatres with armed guards standing at all the doors, and Phil and Stuart were never quite sure who was being protected against whom.

Compared with some of the hor­rible toilets that our two heroes have been offered as dressing rooms in the past, the facilities in Saudi Arabia were luxurious in the extreme. The only drawback was that preparation for the show now included shaking out all their gear to get rid of the scorpions.

And as if this weren't bad enough, they were warned about some other creepy-crawlies that have become part of everyday life for the troops out in the desert: the dreaded camel spiders, which crawl up your leg at night, give you a lo­cal anesthetic, and then proceed to chomp a big hole in your flesh without you noticing it.

Unlike this report, Phil and Stu­art's show is "good, clean, family entertainment". When they first came on stage, the audience didn't quite know what to expect, but with plenty of verbal and visual humour, the squaddies were soon won over. The show includes lots of audience participation, and getting officers onto the stage was a sure-fire way of getting laughs. And as the tour progressed, their reputation spread, so that by the end of their time in Saudi, the Norfolk Mountain Rescue A-Team was almost a household name. The only adaptation they made to their show was to cut out the more childish slapstick el­ements. They certainly didn't incorporate any "blue" material for their predomi-

nantly young male audience. "We pride ourselves on being non-sexist, non-racist and non-political," says Stuart.

These principles played an important role in their decision to go to the war zone in the first place. They certainly didn't rush into it, but gave it a great deal of thought. What would the juggling fra­ternity say? Would they ever speak to us again? Is performing for the troops effec­tively the same as condoning the war? "We are against all forms of discrimina­tion," explains Stuart, "and that applies to our audience as well. We would never refuse to entertain people just because we didn't agree with their politics. If we had refused to go, we would have been guilty of political discrimination. And we would also have missed out on a unique oppor­tunity to learn."

Before going, Phil and Stuart might have dismissed soldiers in general as a bunch of bloodthirsty morons, a bit like football hooligans in uniform. But when they got there and got talking, they were surprised to find how "normal" the "squaddies" were. Most of them didn't want the war to happen, and didn't want to be there themselves. "Spending months on end with nothing to do except gas-mask drill is very boring and very

frightening," Phil pointed out, so the troops welcomed the opportunity of light relief in the form of a comedy show. But the long days and nights in the desert had also given them more than enough time to think about the meaning of life. Con­versations with these "thinking" soldiers gave Phil and Stuart an opportunity to gain an impression of the situation that was very different from the picture painted by the media. Living under the same conditions helped them understand the mentality of the troops much better.

"People at home talk about how 'horrendous' it is," says Stuart, "but when you actually experience it, you find it's even more horrendous than you imag­ined." In fact, even the preparations at an RAF camp somewhere in the English countryside were already pretty horren­dous. Sitting in the CS gas chamber, be­ing trained to cope with a gas attack, they turned to each other and asked "What the hell are we doing here? We're jugglers!" And, as they walked around the desert in full combat jackets, carrying their ABC protective kits with them wherever they went, they had to keep on reminding themselves that they were jugglers - only their longer hair gave them away as non­soldiers.

Enterlainment and War

They hadn't fully realized what was in store for them when they signed the con­tract, and were tempted to pull out at one stage. "It would have been easy to put forward noble, anti-war reasons for pulling out," says Phil, but admits, "I would never have been able to convince myself that the real reason was not cow­ardice. Boycotting something is an easy way out of dealing with a threat - and what could be a greater threat than war? -rather than confronting it."

"This is getting heavy", comments Stuart.

So as a macabre piece of light relief, Phil tells the story of how they were nearly killed by a camel. They were be­ing driven back to camp after a show one night when suddenly they faced a herd of camels sauntering across the road. Camels are notorious for disobeying their kerb drill, and they seem to know that even if you hit them with a car, you are the one who's going to come off worse. The driver was only just able to swerve the jeep past them unscathed. Consider­ing how near they were to Saddam Hus­sein's rocket launchers, it would have been an ironic way to go!

, '* . 0~~(;/l~O'SG~(~~Miuwoch-Freitag 12-1suhr~:t'* o ~ ~/.?

"'- · ~- . Samstag 10.30-13.30 Uhr f1'i:.'.. • • V'~* .~ . "({]) . o .. Montag/Dienstag geschlossen ~ 4 · @.o

.. r --- J onglerie+ Holzspiele

rff:l ® ))'~

v \\ ~) : ' lj

Kein Versand !

Kryolan Theaterschminke,

Einrader, Semcycle, Luftballons

Bumerangs, Hacky-Sacks, Boule, Fris!Jees, Drachen,

Pedalo, und viele gute Geschenkideen

21/Kaskade 5

Physics

Juggling with the Laws of Physics

Anyone who juggles is making use of a whole number of physical laws. The best known is of course the law of gravity. Despite group names like "Jugglers against Gravity", gravity does not in fact make life difficult for us - on the con­trary, if it weren't for gravity, juggling would be impossible. We would be able to throw a large number of objects into the air, but they would never come back down. Thus the dream of many a juggler, to go to the moon in order to break all the records, would turn out to be a utopian pipe dream if we ever actually got there. True, a correctly thrown ball would take six times longer to travel from the apex of its trajectory to the catching hand than with a throw of the same force on Earth. Yet with one-sixth of the gravitational force, a very small impulse in the wrong direction would be enough to send the object sailing out of the pattern. (We can get an idea of what it's like juggling with less gravity if we juggle with light ob­jects or throw higher!) Anyone who's tried it knows that the true art of juggling lies not in the catching but in the accu­racy of the throw, which is why it may be more strenuous to juggle with heavier balls but is at the same time more re­warding. (It is no coincidence that I filled

6 Kaskade/21

L

I ,-----1 vertical~ I component .

1 horizontal component

I -'

·I I I

L------l

parabolic trajectory

my first juggling balls, tennis balls, with sand!)

a parabolic trajectory. In order for a juggling ball to follow a parabolic curve it must be exposed to two compound forces. The first is vertical (determining

The physicist would refer to the well­known flight curve of the juggling ball as

... kannst'n Katalog kriegen, fur umsonst! Was drinsteht? - Kannste Dir ja denken!

• • D'ftl Theaterbedarf, Festausstattung. Ballons,

~,,,., • w Drachen, Boomerangs, Frisbees u. v. a. m.

FEHRFELD 24 · 2800 BREMEN · 0421/775 09

the height of the ball's flight), the other horizontal (determining the distance travelled). The curve described by the ball is therefore dependent on the magnitude and direction of the force which the throwing hand exerts on it. (Gauging this application of force within certain limits is a relatively small problem for a human being on Earth, especially since he has gathered experience in this phenomenon right from earliest childhood.)

From the point of view of physics, it is immaterial whether I perform a normal cascade throw or whether I move the ball upwards and then to the side in order to introduce it from here into the juggle. The juggler, however, notices the difference. This fact might seem to confirm the long-held prejudice that physics has nothing to do with aesthetics.

Clubs are "rigid bodies", as the physicist would say. They have a centre of gravity, the position of which it is possible to determine exactly. What is meant by "centre of gravity" is an imaginary point at which the sum of all forces acting upon the body can be represented by a single force of calculable magnitude and direction. If I put my finger under a club's centre of gravity, for example, it will stay there balanced, without falling down. The finger exerts a force on the club which neutralizes the force exerted on all the mass particles of the club, pulling them towards the Earth. The centre of gravity of the club is extremely important for the juggler. Regardless of how the club is thrown, its centre of gravity always describes the parabolic arc we know from the ball, so that the juggler is able to anticipate ("calculate") where it will land.

The position of the centre of gravity within the club is also important. If a club is top-heavy, the juggler can throw it further away from his body, because the handle will still remain within his reach.

Clubs which rotate vigorously are therefore easier to catch because top end and handle-end are easier to tell apart.

The tools of the juggler, his clubs, are known to the physicist as "gyroscopes". Even today, when faced with the task of trying to give a comprehensive, i.e.

Physics

of inertia. Their willingness depends on their mass and the distance between mass and centre of gravity. They all tum on specific axes. Of particular importance are the two main axes of inertia (the axes with the greatest and smallest moment of inertia respectively), which physicists

The trajactory of a club spinning on its own axis is also a parabolic arc

universally valid description of the motion of a gyroscope, taking account of all the possible special cases, modem physics is stretched to the limit of its capabilities. Fortunately for the physicist, however, the linear, rotated objects used by jugglers belong without exception to the category of so-called "symmetrical gyroscopes" . This means that they behave as though they would spread their mass evenly around their centre of gravity, which in tum means that the physicist is able to describe such objects' motion.

Gyrating bodies differ from one another, from the point of view of physics, to the extent that they are willing to continue turning. This is the moment

also call the free axes. They are the only stable ones, which means that when a body is rotating on a free axis it cannot shift to another axis without external application of force.

There is a further reason why the self­rotation of the club is extremely important for the juggler. The rotation of the club is caused by a force which acts on it outside the centre of gravity in a direction perpendicular to the rotational axis and perpendicular to the line drawn between the centre of gravity and the point at which the force is applied. This force gives the body a rotational impulse, whose direction and strength it maintains (reduced only by air friction) as long as

21/Kaskade 7

Physics

The Laws of Physics ...

no other force acts upon it. The rotational impulse is responsible for the fact that the rotational axis in tum maintains its direction.

When you consider the number of

centre of gravity at the front

centre of gravity in the middle

~alla~alla

8 Kaskade/21

rotational axis

rotational axis

natural phenomena which the juggler has to apply (and what's more, intuitively) then it may seem surprising that so many people are fascinated by this game with gravity (and, as we now know, all those

Bollobollo GmbH Ziilpicher Sir. 39 0-5000 Koln 1 Tel.: 0221n4 39 84 Fu: 0221n4 92 S5

other physical laws). However, I believe there is a fairly simple explanation: physical models are much more complicated than juggling itself!

Alexander Neveling, Hude.

rotational axis

Gro8- u. Einzelhandel

Joa9l•tl& Cllffwlo•

A new company, Beard Enterprises, is causing something of a stir in the UK. It was set up at the end of 1989 with a view to manufacturing as their first product a cheap, high quality club. The two part­ners who set up the business, "H" and Chris, initially performed together in a juggling duo under the name of "The Beard Sisters". (Both have beards, the rest we leave to your imagination!) They were keen to have as many people as possible learn to juggle, but found that often the cost of imported equipment was prohibitive. They began to look into the possibility of manufacturing themselves. After spending almost a year learning about various plastic moulding tech­niques and raising the necessary capital, they felt confident enough to give up their jobs and work full-time in the com­pany. "H" was still a computer engineer­ing manager at the time, and Chris was working as a Middle Eastern business consultant.

The company is in fact the first manu­facturer of juggling clubs in the UK and moulds the plastic club bodies and other parts on the premises. "Our main aim was to produce a club that would encourage the first-time club juggler," explained "H". "First was the price; we wanted our basic club to cost under £10 but still to be of professional quality. Next was the

handle; the club had to have a soft, grippy handle that didn't hurt your hands or break your finger nails." "But the Practice and Practice Deluxe Clubs are becoming very popular with professional jugglers as well," added Chris. "They come in nine bright colours and are very visual in performance."

Beard Enterprises is based in a large, beautifully restored nineteenth century mill on the edge of the Bronte moors. The "Circus Factory", as they've started to call it, is a strange mixture of industrial

"Now every little town has its own jug­gling club and a dozen members."

Beard Enterprises followed the release of the Practice Club last summer with the "Stunt Stick", a bouncing devil stick. "Once again we wanted it to go out at half the price of a professional devil stick but still be up to professional standard. Also the floor bounce makes it that much different." It has already started to sell on a large scale in toy shops and their hope is that this may lead the way to these shops becoming the new outlets for jug-

Beard Enterprises equipment and circus props, and there is plenty of room to juggle between shifts on the machines. The nearby town of Hebden Bridge has long been known as a centre for alternative culture and unusual lifestyles. "Until recently, the British jug­gling scene was mainly in the South," pointed out Chris. "Just in the last two or three years there has been an explosion of juggling shops, workshops, performers, circuses and societies in the North." "A few years ago, if you were a juggler, it was something you tried to keep a secret from the neighbours," laughed "H".

gling equipment. They plan to be producing the full

range of juggling and circus equipment by this time next year. February will see the release of their diabolo and two new clubs. "We are very keen to have volun­teers to try out our new Performance Club before its general release," said "H". "We believe it's unbeatable as a club for the skilled juggler but we want to hear everyone's opinion on it first. Just let us know and we'll send you a set to try out."

I wonder what they'll do if they get a thousand volunteers!

Puzzletree Cottage, Stoke St.Michael, Somerset, BAJ SLB. Tel: 0749 840107 Fax: 0749 84105&

21/Kaskade 9

Book Reviews

491 Patterns for the Solo Juggler This monumental work was 9 years in the making, and is the result of almost fanatical attention to detail on the part of the author, who is also the publisher and distributor.

It was not intended as a monument, though, but rather as a practical guide for those interested in discovering all the dif­ferent possible ways of using only two hands to keep a larger (and sometimes considerably larger) number of objects in the air.

The author hopes it will make a sig­nificant contribution to juggling, pointing the way forward into the 21st century. Like the "dream move" column in Kaskade, patterns are developed on a theoretical level which no mortal juggler can as yet achieve. That is why, of the 491 patterns described, only 38 refer to 3 balls, while there are no less than 134 suggestions for 5 balls, 32 for 8 balls and even 6 variations on 12 balls. And this does not include any body throws.

What may prove to be another major contribution to the future of juggling is the development of a kind of Esperanto for jugglers: a notation system which en­ables patterns to be conveyed in written form. There is not sufficient space to ex­plain the system here, but suffice it to say that what at first sight appears to be dauntingly complex is in fact based on the observation that all patterns can be reduced to a combination of only four ba­sic throws. This makes it considerably simpler than long-winded photographic descriptions or previous notation sys­tems. Presumably it becomes easy to work with after you've read the introduc-

10 Kaskade/21

'One in , two out'

All 38 synchronous patterns are of necessity

depleted: at some time one hand or the other will

be empty. To indicate the depleted nature of the

present pattern, and the relationship with the

corresponding 48 pattern, the sequence below

might equally wen be written

(

R - Lr - L - lR -) J l ' 2 l '

2 - 22 - 2 - 22 -

f - ff - f - ff -

Where soch allematives exist that form of notation

has been adopted which seemed to best convey

the manner in which the propi; juggled were to be

played.

(R Lr L lR) R

2 I 3 2 I 3

1 11 1 11 1

f ff f ff f

lbe same pair of balls are always thrown together

tion thoroughly and had a bit of practice in following the diagrams with the book opened out in front of you in the gym. In­cidentally, the book contains a translation of the introduction into German and

c... 0 -z..

French, so language need not be a barrier to understanding the rest of the book, which looks like the excerpt reproduced here.

The diagram helps you visualize the pattern, while the notation system helps you learn to execute it step by step, in­cluding ways of linking it to any other pattern. As a further aid to visualization, the motion of the balls can be reproduced using the animated "juggletoon" method, tracing the paths of the balls with little bits of paper.

Light relief is also provided by quotes from the famous at the be12:innin11: of each chapter, and by silhouettes drawn by the author's 12-year-old daughter, Alisoun. For the sake of completeness, the book also contains a technical addendum, the most interesting part of which is perhaps a suggestion for adapting the notation system for use in describing club passing patterns.

491 patterns for the solo juggler by Martin Probert, £16.15.

Obtainable by sending a bank draft for £16.15 in sterling (DO NOT send dollars, yen, etc.) to the author, 55 Higher Compton Road, Hartley, Plymouth PL3 5JA, England (Bank account number 61032887 at Midland Bank, 65 Mutley Plain, Plymouth PL4 6JS, England). For airmail, send bank draft for £17.85 sterling (Europe), £18.80 sterling (America, India), £19.40 sterling (Australia, Japan). UK only: send cheque for £15.65.

Book Reviews

Talking about Acrobatics This is the practical handbook for acro­bats (who understand German!). The Huismann brothers concentrate on floor acrobatics for duos and trios, which is particularly popular in Holland and Ger­many outside circus and variety. A total of 96 different "tricks" are described, giving a broad selection of exercises for learning without an instructor.

The book's structure is clear, the the­ory is kept to a necessary minimum -perhaps a bit too minimal - and the indi­vidual exercises are graded according to three degrees of difficulty. The descrip­tions are detailed, and accompanied by useful illustrations. This is a book by ac­robats for acrobats. However, it does not always proceed from easy to difficult. A few tips on how to avoid injuries and possible long-term damage would have been helpful.

Huisman, Bennie; Huisman, Gerard: Akrobatik, Reinbek bei

Hamburg 1988, Rowohlt­Taschenbuchverlag, OM 12.80.

Melczer-Lukacs, Geza; Zwiefka, Hans Jiirgen : Akrobatisches

Theater, Moers 1989, edition aragon, OM 16.80

This book, by contrast, deals mainly with the possibilities for incorporating acrobatic elements into theatre. By way of introduction, an interesting historical review traces the historical context of ac­robatics and theatre, thus setting out the book's intention, namely to treat acro­batics as a form of dramatic expression.

This explains why less emphasis is placed on a comprehensive and detailed description of individual acrobatic exer­cises, and much more attention is paid to suggestions for subject matter, scenes and types of performance in which acrobatics could be usefully employed. This section may provide many acrobats with some new and interesting ideas for their own shows. The book is rounded off by a few important notes on how to structure your training, together with suggestions and

tips from a medical point of view. All in all, this is a book by theatre

people which is designed to motivate the reader to combine acrobatics with other dramatic techniques and thus to fill it with content and life.

Acrobatics-in China is a colourful picture book reflecting the full spectrum of China's acrobatic arts during the 1970s. Almost unbelievable feats are captured on over 100 pages of photographs.

This is a book to browse through and marvel at. I recommend it to acrobats who are able to admit where their own limitations lie.

Foreign Language Publications (eds.): Acrobatics in China,

Peking 1982, Printed and Published in the People's Republic

of China.

Wilhelm Kelber, Hamburg, Germany

13th European Juggling Festival

Documentation and Video For those looking for a few lasting souvenirs of Oldenburg, there are now two possibilities: an official documenta­tion, compiled by the organizers; and a video, produced by Knallfrosch.

Unfortunately, both are only available in German, but there are enough good photos in the Documentation to make it a worthwhile souvenir album , and of course the images of the video speak for themselves. Even if you didn't go to Old­enburg yourself, these two sources will give you a good idea of the atmosphere. The Documentation and the video are es­pecially useful for people who are think­ing of organizing a convention them­selves, either large or small, in their own home town. Even the most unimaginative city bureaucrat is bound to see the attrac­tion of supporting an event like this once he's seen these two advertisements for a juggling convention.

The Documentation was an experi­ment, as the editors admit. Firstly, be­cause it is the first of its kind, and sec­ondly, because it was mainly written by "non-jugglers". This is precisely what

makes it interesting. We already know what jugglers have to say about the con­vention, don't we? But how does a com­plete beginner feel? How does a woman evaluate the role of women? Of particular interest are Sabine Wallach's experiences as a non-juggling interpreter for the Rus­sian delegation.

As Kaskade editor, it makes me posi­tively envious to see the naive freedom with which people talk about juggling who are not bogged down in the juggling morast themselves!

13th European Juggling F estiva~ Documentation, Price: OM 5.00.

You can order it from juggling shops, or direct from the orga­

nizers, the Verein zur Forderung des Freizeitsports e.V. , Postfach

2503, W-2900 Oldenburg, Germany.

The Video shows the convention highlights in more or less chronological order. Juggling in the halls, in the work-

shops, in shows, on the streets. Juggling, juggling, juggling. Well, that's what goes on at conventions. Many of the pictures tell a story, and all specialities are repre­sented, including diabolo, Sem and Teresa Abrahams on the unicycle, uni­hockey, acrobatics, etc. We get to see an excerpt from each of the acts in the Pub­lic Show. It leaves you wanting to see more, but then the video didn't set out to document the Public Show, but the con­vention as a whole. Anyway, you see enough of each routine to get a good im­pression not only of the skill but also the stage presence of the performers.

The images are generally accompanied by background music without commen­tary. The few comments that are made are rather boring, and the commentator sounds bored stiff himself. Perhaps he needn't have bothered to say anything.

13th European Juggling Festival Oldenburg, Video, approx. 1 hour,

price: OM 67.00, available from juggling shops.

21/Kaskade 11

Workshop

Unicycling Begin With The

Proper Size Cycle

The saddle should be set so that when you place your heel on the pedal at its lowest position, your leg will be fully extended. Now when you place the ball of your foot on the pedal your leg will be slightly bent for riding. This is the most relaxing height.

12 Kaskade/21

Mounting

For mounting, the pedal of the corre­sponding foot you choose to mount with should be towards you and down (at about a 45 degree angle).

First place the saddle in position, then place the foot with which you are mounting on the lower back pedal.

Holding on to a support, get up over the axle and bring the other foot onto the pedal.

Tips: * place body weight on saddle * sit up straight * look forward, not down

Just to get the feel of the unicycle and better acquainted with the reaction of it: While holding on to a support with the pedals in a horizontal position, rotate the wheel a couple of centimetres forward and backward by applying pressure on the pedals.

Now step off the uni by leaning back and keeping pressure on the back pedal to keep the wheel from rolling. Remove your front foot from the pedal and place it on the ground.

Repeat all steps a few times until you are comfortable with mounting and step­ping off.

Riding

Mount unicycle and get crank arms horizontal, using a wall or one helper for support. Pedal revolution, stopping when crank arms are horizontal again. The object here is to pedal hard enough to reach the next horizontal position. If the wheel would stop with the crank arms in a vertical position, there would be no leverage to get it rolling again. Keep go­ing at half revolution strokes. You may find yourself leaning heavily on your support at the end of each stroke, so try to adjust the amount of lean so that you are relying on your support as little as possi­ble. Once you manage to do this it won't be necessary to stop every time the cranks are horizontal. Accelerate to com­pensate for forward lean and decelerate to compensate for backward lean. Side to side balance is obtained by turning into the direction that you are falling into.

Now that you know the basics, all you have to do is practise. -- Good luck!!

Workshop

Tips and Tricks

Idling

* Start by using a support, but try not to lean on it or towards it. Get a powerful rocking motion going; the wheel going back and forth while the upper body stays in place.

* Sideways balance is maintained by moving into the direction of falling.

Idling On One Foot * Start by idling with the largest pos­

sible pedal stroke, making the bottom foot push harder to accelerate and decel­erate. Soon you'll feel that the top foot is not really doing anything and can be taken off the pedal.

One Foot Riding

* Start by riding doing all the "work" with one foot. This means that the work­ing foot will be applying pressure on its pedal in both the forward and the back­ward position, causing you to ride a bit jerky, accelerating when the foot goes down and decelerating when the foot goes up.

Hopping * Hopping is done by pushing up off

the pedals like you were to jump up off the unicycle and then pulling up on the seat with one hand, taking the unicycle up in the air with you. For consecutive hops the air in the tyre works like the spring in a pogo stick.

* To hop with hands free, turn knees in slightly and stand up on the pedals in order to get a good grip on the saddle.

Juggling While Riding I Idling

* Juggling while riding/idling requires you to be able to ride/idle without the use of your arms, so if there is a problem here the thing to do is first practise riding/idling with your arms folded.

Wheel Walking * Since walking the wheel requires

you to move much slower than regular riding, first try riding very slowly.

* Start at the top of the wheel near the frame with your toe and roll your foot all the way to the heel with the foot parallel to the wheel.

Backward Riding * Afraid of falling back because you

can't see where you are going? Try run­ning backwards a few metres first.

* Start same way as learning to ride.

Mounting A Chain­driven Unicycle

* Lean unicycle forward, not straight up or back, and go up, not back, when climbing.

* Make sure the cycle does not lean sideways before you go up and make the step from the tyre to the second pedal a quick one.

We hope you find these tips helpful. Please take care when trying new skills.

Teresa and Sem Abrahams

CENTRE FOR CIRCUS SKILLS

AND PERFORMING ARTS

FULL TIME TRAINING

IN CIRCUS AN~CHNIOUES THEATRICALouRSE 1991 ONE YEAR ~ e courses Other Full Tim

YSICAL SKILLS -TUITION IN PH E DANCE WIRE TRAPEZ ACROBATICS EOUILIBRISTICS

KILLS- MIME THEATRICALS SATION CLOWN MASK 1MPRO~ CHARACTER EI c

h school for prospectus

C ntact t e o 1· ation form

and app ic

rme fool I Street 40 Thoma2s 9LL England Bristol BS Telephone 2 556452 in Britain 027 4 272 556452 from Europe 4

... •

:E • -• ...

.... • 0 • 0 • ...

21/Kaskade 13

• •

·o •

.. Ju,gJLrng

SHOp

~tPIV\tNT ~ ~-

ttEN f!..'/S 5Po-rL'l €fij T

/

Do&, •

Tooo SMrr" 3:3:10 JUGGLING SHOP POLLY BROOKS YARD PEDMORERD.

Jo~qL~6 ~ffoS,0

oN

L YE.NR. STOURBT/DGE WEST MIDS. DY9 BOG TEL' 0384 895153

EVEN IF YOU CANT JUGGLE, VISIT THE SHOP & WE'LL TEACH YOU!!!

OPEN 10AM-7 PM MON-SAT

The Midlands largest range of juggling equipment, books & unicycles

• VISIT OUR LARGE SHOP

/lappnase & Co tiluckstr. 41

•

Z flllll Nt1111/Jur1 11 Tel. flf0/21,JOSI

• •

•

•

Workshop

The lasso

This workshop is taken from a book on the subject compiled by Carey Bunks, who also led the workshop in Oldenburg. He kindly gave us permission to reprint parts of his book in this column. Many thanks! This, the first of two parts, will introduce the basic techniques. In the next issue of Kaskade you can learn some more complicated tricks. Anyone who is interested in ordering the whole book, which explains many more tricks, should write to Carey Bunks, 24 Garden St., Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.

The Lasso We begin by describing the parts of the lasso itself. A lasso is a length of cord which has, at one end, a small loop called the honda. One passes the other end of the cord through the hohda, thus dividing the cord into two parts called the spoke and the loop. The spoke is the part of the cord which was passed through the honda and while spinning the lasso the spoke resembles the spoke of a wheel. The loop is the part which has not been passed through the honda and, consequently, forms a loop. Some lassos are very long and, consequently, it is necessary to coil the end of the spoke to make the lasso a manageable size. The honda must be big enough to allow the rope to slide freely.

A beginner's lasso should be roughly 5 yards long, where the last two inches are for the honda. The honda is sewn in place with either cooking string or with copper wire. The copper adds more weight to the honda and the lasso will be "faster".

The Flat Loop The flat loop is the most basic and easiest of all the rope spinning tricks. It is an im­portant basic tool which is used in many other tricks and it demonstrates the basic physical pinciples by which the art of rope spinning works. As the name sug­gests, the flat loop consists of spinning the loop in a flat horizontal plane. The spoke leads downward from the hand to the loop at about a 45° angle with the vertical axis (see Figure 1). The hand is at about waist level and is placed far

Learning the Ropes

enough forward and high enough so that the spinning loop does not brush against the legs or against the floor while it is turning.

HAND HOLDS .SPoKE l./Ef(f

/-10¥.0A

---1 AXIS O'F ROTATION

y

Figure 1: The Flat Loop

Starting Starting is probably the hardest part of the flat loop. It is important to examine Figure 2 carefully so as to get the starting configuration correct. The view in Figure 2 is that of the roper looking at his or her own hands: The left hand is palm down and grips the loop betweeen the thumb and forefinger. The right hand is palm up gripping the loop with the thumb and forefinger and holding the end of the spoke with the remaining three fingers . The exact geometry of the honda and spoke are important, so examine the fig­ure again carefully. The spoke length is between 1/4 and 1/5 of the loop circum­ference. A handy way to get the correct spoke length is to form a square out of the loop by placing the hands and feet in the loop at the locations of the four cor­ners of a square. Arrange the square so that the honda is at the right foot and make the spoke length just a touch shorter than one side of the square. In any case, after a few tries the correct spoke length will be easy to estimate by eye.

To start the flat loop it is first a good idea to keep in mind what the eventual goal is to be. The goal is to spin the loop counter-clockwise in the horizontal plane in such a way that the hand is making a little circle and is always 1/4 of a circle ahead of the honda. This difference in circle position between the hand and the honda is called the phase of the hand. It is very important to pay attention to the phase of the hand in all lasso tricks. Note that when using the square method for ar­ranging the rope in the hands for starting that the hand is almost exactly 1/4 circle ahead of the honda along the circumfer­ence of the loop. Consequently, in start­ing the flat loop, the hand mustn't make any extraordinary spinning movements. The hand begins with a 1/4 phase ad­vance on the honda and must maintain this phase difference throughout the start of the flat loop.

The turning of the loop is started with both hands to give it its initial speed.

LOOP

Figure 2: Starting Configuration

Then the loop is gently released by the thumb and forefinger of each hand while the right hand travels in a spiral path from the loop edge to a position near the centre of the circle formed by the now horizontally turning loop. Through this entire operation the hand is always 1/4 circle ahead of the honda. For this to work out it is important to be observant of the loop speed at the moment that the two hands release the loop so that the right hand can more carefully match the speed of the loop.

21/Kaskade 15

Workshop

The Phase Technique Figure 3 is a view of the flat loop from above and the front. The large circle is the loop, the straight line is the spoke, and the small circle is a path that the hand moves in to turn the loop. In the figure the loop is turning in the counter­clockwise direction and the hand travels along its path in a counter-clockwise di­rection as well.

TOP VtEw

Figure 3: Phase of Hand for the F /at Loop

The hand should be 1/4 of a circle ahead of the honda at all times. The ne­cessity of the 1/4 circle phase advance is due to the effect that the spoke tension has on the loop. The tension in the spoke can be decomposed into two parts. One part of the spoke tension is tangential to the loop and the other component is per­pendicular to the loop (see Fig. 4). It is

Einrader, Dreirader, Hochrader, Artistikzubehor,

,,

the tangential component of the spoke tension which makes the loop turn. The hand phase described above is the posi­tion which maximizes the tangential corn ponent of the spoke tension. Of course, the small circle illustrated in Fig. 4 has been represented much larger than it really is in practice in order to better explain the principles involved.

Figure 4: Tangential Component of Spoke Tension

There is a technique one can use for cultivating the feel of the 1/4 circle phase principle. Unthread the end of the lasso from the honda and, starting from the op­posite end of the lasso from the honda, coil about half of the lasso's length into the left hand. Allow the honda end of the

-keln Versand-

lasso to hang down from the right hand, and, by moving the hand in a small circle, try to make the rope obtain the shape in Fig. 5. When the rope takes this shape, the hand is 1/4 circle phase ahead of the knee in the shape of the lasso.

Figure 5: Phase Mastery Exercise

The problem of hand phase is very, very important. The 1/4 circle phase ad­vance principle holds true in almost every lasso trick. The most likely result of bad phase is that the diameter of the loop gets smaller and smaller until the circle corn -pletely vanishes. The two possibilities that create a bad phase situation are: 1) the relative phase of the hand and the honda is constant but the hand is on the

. I ·.·.11 ...•.•. 1.l'ljftilJ~~Keu~ v~~~~k~~o~~ IDEEN FUR MORGEN

d . . K~le &.co. P~~~~~'. sumerangs. Fns

Balle, Tucner, Telefon 0234/ 120 51 -52 Telefax 0234/64480

KortumstraBe 5 · 4630 Bochum 1

111\ und Buhnenausstattung, Schminke,

t ·o··n· BUhneneffekte, Theaterbekleidung e ora 1 , b'ld

Masken und alles fur Masken i ner

16 Kaskade/21

wrong half of the small circle, thus di­minishing the loop speed; and 2) the hand-honda phase is continually chang­ing in a way which, on the average, di­minishes the loop speed. For both cases a decelerating loop speed means a dimin­ishing loop diameter.

Untwisting the Spoke A very important detail to keep in mind is that while turning the loop in circles, the spoke is going to become twisted if the spoke is not untwisted to counteract this. For each turn of the loop it is necessary to make one turn of the spoke end (in the same direction). This is accomplished by alternately rolling the spoke end between the thumb and forefinger and then by gripping the spoke with the remaining fingers (see Fig. 6).

.. ~-. . . . Figure 6: Untwisting the Spoke End

Changing the Loop Di­ameter

The diameter of the loop depends on its angular velocity. The faster the loop is turning, the larger the diameter. Simi­larly, the slower the loop turns, the smaller its diameter will be. If one wants to increase or decrease the diameter of the loop, the rate at which the loop is turning must be accelerated or deceler­ated to the speed that corresponds to the desired diameter. Because of the 1/4 cir­cle phase principle, one cannot change the speed of the loop by simply moving the hand faster along the small hand cir­cle path. To increase the loop speed it is necessary to increase the diameter of the small circle by moving the hand away from the centre of the circle and at the same time increasing the speed of the hand. Be careful always to maintain the same 1/4 circle hand-honda phase.

The Spin Acceleration Technique

The relationship between the flat loop di­ameter and the rotational speed, as de­scribed above, is based on the assumption

Workshop

that the tension in the spoke (that is, the pull of the spoke that the roper feels) is constant. There are many lasso tricks where the pull of the spoke is not con­stant, however, the diameter of the loop must be maintained constant. Keeping the loop diameter constant while increasing the pull on the spoke is done using a method that I call the spin acceleration technique. The spin acceleration tech­nique is described in what follows.

Whenever the lasso loop is to be moved from the one position to another, it is necessary to pull on the spoke thus pulling the loop to the new position. The increase in pull on the spoke acts to close the loop which, of course, diminishes the loop diameter. Increasing the rotational speed of the loop at the same time as pulling the spoke prevents the loop from closing. This is exactly what the tech­nique of spin acceleration is for.

'

(b)

Figure 7: Spin Acceleration

The idea of spin acceleration is to in­crease the rotational speed of the loop in increments which balance the increase in pull on the spoke. A lot of the spin accel­eration technique is feeling. The roper speeds up the rotation of the loop, pulls on the spoke at the same time, and tries (by observation) to balance the pull and the spin acceleration so that the loop does not change size. Here is how to speed up the spin of the loop. Referring to Fig. 7, there are two lassos. For the lasso in Fig. 7a the phase difference between the hand and the honda is a 1/4 circle. For the lasso in Fig. 7b, the phase difference is ' less than a 1/4 circle and the hand circle is larger than that in Fig. 7a. The tangen­tial component of pull on the spoke in Fig. 7b is much greater than that in Fig. 7a and so the loop in Fig. 7b speeds up. The radial corn ponent of the pull on the spoke in Fig. 7b must be increased to prevent the loop diameter from growing.

The explanation of spin acceleration given here may seem a bit abstract to the reader. However, the tricks described in the next instalment of Kaskade will make things clearer. Until then, you have a few months to practice your basic technique!

Y'l '\~

I

RINGMASTER + HANDLEBARS

NEW! * Ringmaster Unicycles with handle bar units to match * Custom built Ringmaster Unicycles with advanced features

DM Engineering, r/o 59 Fairmile Road,

Christchurch, Dorset BH23 2!..4.,

England.

Largest range of Unicycles In the

U.K.

Telephone (0202) 471943

for details

~ 11r

21/Kaskade 17

~ N~ues Prospekt gratis .

... ~ Steinstr. 23 · D-7500Karlsruhe1 . ,. .

Tel. 07 21I37 91 45 ·Fax 37 76 74

The Stars of Tomorrow Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain

Once again, this event lived up to the name of "festival" in the sense of a truly festive occasion, despite the international tensions which threatened to overshadow it. This year's Circus of Tomorrow was the Cirque d'Hiver Bouglione in Paris, and took place from 23-30 January.

Over 50 shows from 22 countries cov­ered the entire range of circus skills at a very high standard. This year for the first time, animal trainers had the opportunity

· to take part, as three supplementary days were added to the competition, held in a big top in Massy, outside Paris.

As far as juggling was concerned, this year was marked by innovation.

Zdenek Polach (Czechoslovakia, silver medal) is a typical example. His props? Cylinders, similar to those used in an­tipodism, but thinner. His technique? Standing like a footballer, he makes use of his feet for tossing, catching, balancing or keeping these cylinders in continuous rotation. His hands are used only from time to time in order to add some more possiblities.

Antonio Alvarez (Spain, silver medal) performs an act based mainly on clubs, but also includes balls, teaspoon balance and torches. His style is more or less conventional, but astonishingly dynamic, and his routine includes original tricks of a high technical standard, particularly using his feet. For instance, a club is tossed with the right foot and caught again in continuous rotation at every spin by the same foot. Alvarez turns a full cir -cle while performing this trick. Or he kicks a club high into the air, turns a quadruple pirouette and catches the high club with the same foot before continuing smoothly with the standard three-club pattern. Bravo!

Iosifovich Petrosian (USSR, special prize) provides another example of in­ventiveness. He makes use of fur hats (up to 5, both in a cascade and a shower), running from his hands to his head and then down his back to his foot. He also incorporates drums in his act, even beat­ing out a rhythm, finishing with a grand finale in which he "balances" three of these drums on the tips of three knives

held in just one hand. Unfortunately there is a real "credibility gap" here, as it is hard for the audience to accept that there is no trick involved.

Four juggling acts were presented in the Vth Festival Mondial du Cirque de l'Avenir, where competition is reserved for artistes under 15 years of age:

Whalid Asham (Egypt) presented up to 5 large balls.

Ecole de Chambery (France, Bourse Merlin) with two acts, a technically pol­ished passing routine between four rap dancers, and a solo act by Michel Arias, including six clubs.

And finally, Daniel Hochsteiner (Germany, silver medal), whose mastery is extraordinary for his age (15). He in­cluded 6 and 7 balls, and 4 balls in one hand (!), as well as 5 tennis raquets with under-the-leg throws.

Many of the acts included ping-pong ball juggling with the mouth. Clowns Rodman and Bobilev (USSR), for exam­ple, bounced three ping pong balls off a target some metres away.

Artists' Marketplace

The Woman Behind It All

The newly founded ''Federation Mondiale des Ecoles de Cirque" have awarded their first prize to Festival organizers Is­abelle and Dominique Mauclair. Alexis Martinet spoke to Isabelle Mauclair on behalf of Kaskade. Kaskade: After a long year of preparation (and many years devoted to this event), how do you feel when you see the Cirque d'Hiver full of enthusiastic spectators? Isabelle Mauclair: C'est superbe! K: How do you manage to find such high quality acts? IM: It happens more or less naturally, partly as a result of our active scouting,

partly as a result of the Festival's reputa­tion abroad. It requires a lot of contact work and travelling. K: This Festival has been dedicated to Gilles Margaritis. Can you tell us some­thing about him? IM: Gilles Margaritis was a pioneer. He was a brilliant maker of circus films, he created the world-famous TV series "La piste aux etoiles", he was a cartoonist. In fact, he had a lot to do with the renewal of public interest in the circus. He was a man of courage with a will to achieve. K: The Festival is an important "marketplace" for the artists, isn't it? IM: Oh, yes! We attach great importance to this aspect. In the past years, practi­cally all the artists who participated, not only those who appeared in the palmares, got contracts at the Festival, except of course those like the Chinese troupes who are outside the commercial circuit. Some even get offered contracts in sub­sequent years through conversations with circus managers in the Cafe des Clowns. K: What are the links between the Festi­val and the circus schools, or with profes­sional artistic training in general? IM: The Festival acts as an extension of the basic training. A lot of artists come to take a look, to get information on the general trends in their specialist field . And of course they pick up plenty of ideas. K: Certainly your involvement in this kind of work has a long history, and you are also one of the originators behind the recently formed Federation Mondiale des Ecoles de Cirque. The first prize of this federation has been awarded to you and Mr. Mauclair in recognition of your ef­forts in promoting circus talent. We wish the Festival continued success in the future!

The next Festival will take place in January 1992. For information, con­tact: Isabelle Mauclair, Festival Mon­dial du Cirque de Demain, 27, Rue de Marignan, F-75008 Paris, France.

21/Kaskade 19

International Variety Prize

The Spice of life 1st International Stuffgart Variety Prize

January saw the first staging of an inter­national variety festival for young per­formers, organized by the Stuttgart Vari­ety Theatre and the City of Stuttgart. 63 artists (32 acts) from all over the world had reached the finals, a well-balanced mixture of new ideas on the one hand, and traditional, technical acts (including the flashy costumes and the charming fe­male assistant) on the other. All of them were very high standard. The contrast is generally quite clear cut: the numbers based on technical difficulty have a tra­ditional structure, and are performed by members of a circus family or gradu,ates of an Eastern state circus school. The more original acts have been developed by the performers themselves, are techni­cally less perfect and generally a little rough around the edges, but full of life.

Only the Russians, it seems, are capa­ble of linking both elements, of finding an interesting and original form in which to present their flawless technique. And it was they who carried off the top prizes. First Prize went to Mimikritchi, 4 clowns from Kiev: a quartet who set out to play classical music on ... four various-sized rubber tyres! There is a pecking order, starting with the pompous "lead violin" and working down to the cheeky little feller with the outsized tyre. Classical scenes of violence - kicks up the bum, clouts round the ear, some of which hit, some miss, and others which keep hitting the wrong person - and yet these clowns are far from just "silly". Each has his own well-defined character. Even during the prizegiving ceremony, the 4 never stepped out of character for a second. The audience were in hysterics. Even the lo­cal dignatories from the City of Stuttgart, who gave the impression that sitting in the variety theatre was about as interest­ing as sitting in the council chamber,

20 Kaskade/21

were giggling like little kids at the Rus­sian clowns' antics. Only the Mayor, who couldn't see their act because he was backstage waiting to present the prize, didn't seem to get the joke, and his poker face during the prizegiving turned him involuntarily into the clown of the evening.

Second prize went to Bim Born, an 8-person rope-jumping group, also from the USSR. Two soldiers goaded on "the peo­ple" with the rope (symbolizing barbed wire) to perform all sorts of dances and acrobatics. They danced (skipped) ev­erything, from traditional folk-dance to rock'n'roll, while their tableaux told the story of the people's struggle to liberate themselves from the yoke of oppression.

charm and a good idea at least as much as pure skill. So when deciding on who was to receive the prize, we asked the jury to pay special attention to the use of inno­vative forms of presentation. We deliber­ately did not restrict our prize to juggling, since this is a problem that affects all branches of circus skills. Recognition of innovation in one area will help the spread of new ideas in the others - and jugglers are not necessarily top of the league for innovation.

The Kaskade/Chapeau Claque prize was won by "Les Mandragores", two fe­male contorsionists from France. As far as the audience was concerned, they were the stars of the first competition evening, and spectators literally held their breath

Kaskade I Chapeau-Claque Prize goes to Les Mandragores

Kaskade, together with Chapeau Claque, the Stuttgart juggling supplier, donated a prize to the Festival. There were two reasons for this. Firstly, we wanted to show our support for the Festi­val as an important attempt to attract more public attention to the variety arts. And secondly, we wanted to make sure that good presentation ideas were re­warded. Particularly in Germany, it is dif­ficult for artists who want to try some­thing out of the ordinary to find recogni­tion in the circus and variety world. The existing variety theatres do occasionally try to bring their programme "up to date" with a modern dance routine or a sketch with topical references, but they very sel­dom dare to show modernity in circus skills themselves. Yet the Festival showed once again, as if proof were still needed, that audiences appreciate wit,

as the two of them slid their bodies into the most unlikely positions. Their style was a mixture of "human snake" (reflected in their costumes) and Indian temple dance, accompanied by oriental music. Their movements were slow and graceful, and the poses so unusual that you were never quite sure what kind of creature you were looking at - did it have one body or two? three or four legs? two arms and four hands or the other way round? Sometimes it was scarcely visible movements of the head or just one finger that put the finishing touches to a partic­ular pose. The unusual combination of extreme "double-jointedness" on the part of one partner with perfect handstand technique from the other gave the act its dramatic tension. At the climax of the routine, for example, one seems to stand forever on her hands in various poses,

1

l

International Variety Prize

l

Les Mandragores Photos p .21-23: Bahman J . -Borger

21 /Kaskade 21

International Variety Prize

while the other wraps herself around her partner in double and triple twists of the body.

Two prizes went to juggling acts. The prize for "young talent" went to Red Ry­der from the U.S. He packed his routine full of tricks, including cigar boxes and 3, 4 and 5 clubs, presented with a lot of style and visual humour. But it was his opening with ball, hat and carie that con­tained the really amazing stuff.

The Majongs from the East Berlin College for Circus Skills (which used to be part of East Germany!) were given a special advancement award. These Ma­jongs are the successors to the group whose similar show was reviewed in Kaskade some issues back but who have since disbanded. This new group consists of 6 artists between 16 and 20 years of age. They've only been training together for a year, and this Festival was their first

Mimikritschi

public appearance. Their speciality is passing, and not just on the ground, in all sorts of patterns - feeds, circles, etc. - but also hanging from two vertical poles. For example, two on each pole, one above the other, pass to their opposite number, par­allel and crosswise in alternation. Then two more join the pattern from the floor, and now no club gets passed back where it came from.

One other highly unusual juggling act, although in many respects classical in its presentation, was that of Duo Danee. They graduated a few years ago from the same school in East Berlin. Their routine includes ball bouncing while standing on a slackrope, and the climax is 6-ball shower passing with both partners standing on their heads! Incidentally, they revealed to me that they can only do this pattern on their heads, but not when standing the right way up!

Les Mandragores

Claire Joubert (28) and Frederi.que Maoury-Lascoux (31) have been working as a team for two years now. Claire al­ways wanted to be in the circus, and did an apprenticeship at Cirque Gruss when she was 18. Size specialized in acrobatics, particularly handstands, and then worked in an acrobatics troupe. Frederique found out about the Annie Fratellini School in Paris from reading the newspaper, and started training there at 17. She worked as a solo-contorsionist until meeting up with Claire. They both worked separately in the Annie Fratellini Show, while de­veloping their present double-act during a year-and-a-half of their spare time. Choreography is very important to them, as they see it as the key to breaking out of the classical patterns of contorsionism.

The Ugly Juggling Company

22 Kaskade/21

BRIT AINS NORTHERN JUGGLING SHOP 7, BLACK SWAN COURT 69, WESTGATE ROAD NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE

NEl lSG

PLEASE WRITE OR PHONE FOR YOUR FREE. CATALOGUE

TEL: (091) 232 0297

The Future of Variety The Stuttgart Variety Festival included a panel discussion on the fature of variety. The panel consisted mainly of Variety Theatre Directors: Johnny Klinke, Tiger­palas~ Frankfurt; Corny Littmann, The­ater Schmid~ Hamburg; Bernhard Paul, Circus Roncalli; Richard Schmidt, Vari­ete in Phantasialand theme park, Bruh!; Conny Grasser, Connyland, Switzerland, and Catarina Valente, famous singing star of the fifties and sixties and founder of a new "showbiz" school in Germany. This selection showed that the discussion was centred around the situation in Germany.

The opening question was "Does vari­ety still have a future? Is it the kind of thing today's audiences want to see?"

The unanimous answer was "Of course!" There is no more exciting the­atre seat than the front row of a live vari­ety show. A series of unconnected acts as was common in the 20s is no longer good enough today, but revue-style pro­grammes with 4-5 artistic acts, or cabaret with acrobatic elements is in demand now just as it was then.

However, variety and circus have to contend with a wide range of problems. There is a lack of circus schools. The Festival showed that a high degree of skill and talent is there, but it takes expert

training as children, and should go on stage at 12 at the latest. And that is pro­hibited by German law.

The biggest problem is still the fact that there are simply too few variety the­atres. The performers cannot live from them alone, and theatre-owners have to pay a lot of travelling expenses if they want to hire international artistes who cannot get any other contracts in the same area.

In the old days there were two or three variety theatres in each city. The artists had bookings throughout the year. At the end of the month, they congregated at the instruction to give it the final polish, the

TheMajongs

costumes, the choreography, the use of music and lighting.

Someone pointed out that the stage was the only place where artists could re­ally learn how to handle an audience and how their act was really getting across to people. Is an officially recognised ap­prenticeship in circus and variety perfor­mance a conceivable possibility? A pos­sibility, certainly. Variety theatres and circuses do sometimes hire small acts by "beginners", or alternatively young artists help out with the general duties in return for the opportunity to work on their rou­tine. But really artists ought to begin their railway stations, ready to move on to the next venue.

lnJernational Variety Prize

Varieties and circuses are struggling to cope with a lot of economic problems. Circus skills are not recognized as art. That not only means that there are no state subsidies (the city-owned variety theatre in Stuttgart is a notable excep­tion), but it also means that they have to pay VAT and trade tax like any other business, while theatres are exempt. For circuses there is the additional burden of having to pay to hire space, a way in which city authorities cash in on culture, rather than forking out for it.

The c;onclusions: There should be more variety theatres, a school, lots of opportunities to perform. But what are the current variety directors prepared to do to encourage all of this? Corny Littmann put his finger on it when he said: You have to recognize the fact that we are all commercial enterprises who stand in competition to one another. That became very clear whan the various di­rectors tried to put forward their own concept of variety as the only true way. Johnny Klinke claimed that variety was necessarily theatre for the big city, with a night-club orientation. A classical variety based on top quality performance, in other words.

Corny Littmann wants to take already existing acts and forge them together to produce something new. Variety should be available to everyone, so tickets for his theatre only cost DM 10.00 (£3.50). The shows are improvised and exciting. He is a great believer in stage and audi­ence experience, in the idea that the stage is the only place where artists can really learn. The stage has the power to drag people away from the TV, or so he be­lieves.

Bernhard Paul takes good technique, changes the light, the costume and the choreography, and turns it into a number of his own.

The old hands of the circus tradition (Schmidt, Grasser, Catarina Valente) felt it below their dignity to get involved in thiS scrap. They see no need to chase af­ter the bygone flair of the old varieties, they've experienced it for themselves. Why bother to reawaken the past any­way? Variety means what it says: there are so many possibilities, so why bother to argue over the "right" definition? And there is an infinite number of possibilities still to be discovered, which could bring the audiences flocking back. Many small groups, such as Circus Archaos, Circus Burlesque, Circus Gosch and a host of others are already working on it. Perhaps representatives from initiatives like these should be on the panel next time - after all, they are young enough to still be part of the future of variety.

21 /Kaskade 23

International Variety Prize

The Glorious History of Variety

In his opening address, Dr. Wolfgang Jansen of Berlin pointed out that this was only the second exhibition of its kind anywhere in Germany, the first having taken place as long ago as 1914. The am-

bilious aim of the exhibition is to show the history of German variety from its beginnings right up to the present day, and it certainly lives up to that aim. In January, the exhibits were on show at the Galerie Haus am Liitzowplatz, and briefly, during the International Variety

Altstadt

Prize, in Stuttgart. The exhibition is divided into several

themes. If the visitor sticks to the chronological order, he passes through the early phase in the 19th century, then

the heyday around the turn of the century, and ends up in the present-day revival. The centrepiece of the exhibition is a comprehensive portrayal of the three main Berlin venues, the Wintergarten, the Scala and the Plaza. These three houses were fundamental to the whole of the

NeustAdterstr.2 48 Blfd.1 Tel. 0521/172572

24 Kaskade/21

German variety culture. And yet there is plenty to see from the German provinces, including a large number of surprises. The objects are extremely varied (as one might expect from a variety exhibition), and yet they clearly have not been chosen at random. Dr. Jansen places posters, programmes, photos, statuettes and vari­ous printed documents, indeed even ad­mission tickets and menus side by side, like the pieces of a gigantic historical jig­saw puzzle that is surprisingly easy to "take in", both in detail and as a whole.

The objects have their own history, their own location within history, and are powerful witnesses of a bygone age. The secret of the exhibition is that Jansen was confident enough to let the objects speak for themselves. He was correct not to overload everything with historical facts. (For those who would like to know more details, Jansen's book "Das Variete", Edition Hentrich, Berlin 1990, DM 58.00 is thoroughly to be recommended.)

For the observer with eyes to see it, the stages and the artists come alive again in the objects. Their art has lost nothing of the aura which once surrounded them. To have it conjured up again, even if only in the context of an exhibition, was a pleasurable and instructive experience (not least in connection with the current discussion concerning the new German variety movement).

It would be nice to think that this col­lection will not disappear into some drawer again, but that we will soon have another opportunity to see it again out­side Berlin.

·CIRCUS

KATALOG ANFORDERN WEBERSTRASSE 86 · 7000 STUTTGART l ~ 0711/234484 ·FAX 0711/600897

For the utmost in juggling tun try The Original George Sollveno JUMPY •brand new • fascination with

jumping rings •many new

combinations to be worked out (solo or group acts)

• developed by GEORGE SOLLVENO, the well known juggler from Switzerland

Available in Great Britain at Oddball's London; in Switzerland at Drachennest, Berne; Luftibus, Zuerich; in Germany at die Jonglerie, Ber­lin; in Holland at Fa v.d. Wei, Utrecht or in your nearest juggling shop.

The Original George Sollveno JUMPY, 3612 Steffisburg, Switzerland

D. & G. Siegmon Rodenbeker Weg 3, D-2300 Kie l 1

Tel. 043 1 I 64 14 14 Fax. 043 l I 64 15 01 ( Prospekt auf Anfrage)

26 Kaskade/21

Convention Calendar 1991

Stuffgarf 5-7.4.91 Sporthalle West, Moltkeplatz. Overnight accommodation in the Youth Club on foam-rubber mats. Price: DM 25. For more details, contact: Verein fiir vielfaltige Bewegungskultur, Hermannstr. 11, 7000 Stuttgart, Tel. 0711 233316

England, Leeds 5-7.4.1991Info:48 Gledhow Park Grove, Leeds LS7 4JP, Tel. 0532 439365 (daytime) or 629463 (evenings). Or contact 1991 British Juggling Convention, c/o Arts Leeds, 3 St. Peters Buildings, York Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS9 8AJ, Tel.: 744875

Copenhagen 26-28.4.1991 Medborgershuset Honen, Ahlefeldtsgade 33, DK-1359 Copenhagen K. Private accommodation as always. For details: "Jugglers against Gravity", c/o Medborgershuset Honen.

Unicycling Trip, Wiesbaden, Germany 1.5.1991 Meet 10 am at Haus der Jugend, Elsasser Platz. For details, contact: Claudia Henschel, Tel. 0611 406850

Spain 2-5.5.1991 Details from : La Asociacion de Malabaristas, C/Duquesa de Parcent 2, baja, 28047 Madrid, Tel. 4617500

Freiburg 10-12.5.1991 Haus der Jugend, UhlandstraBe. Accommodation: camping or private. Price: DM 25, incl. evening meal on Friday. Details from: Plinjo und Jojo, Maienstr. 1, 7800 Freiburg, Tel. 0761 74991

Hanover 9-12.5.1991 Acrobatics will feature at this convention just as much as juggling: in workshops, the games and the public show. Accommodation: camping (please bring your own tent) or private. Please let us know in advance. Details: Oliver Benkwitz, Lilienstr. 22, 3000 Hannover 1.

France, Reza 8-12.5.1991 5 days of action. A show every evening. Besides workshops, parade (through Nantes), a fire show in the ch~teau, games, etc., there will be events in local schools. For details: Archiballes, 6, rue Fredureau, F-44000 Nantes, Tel. 40.89.61.69 or 40.35.51.05

Ah/en 17-20.5.1991 Details: Knallfrosch, Klosterstr. 2, 4730 Ahlen, Tel. 02382 80080

Saar/ouis 24-26.5.1991 Saarlouis, Stadtgartenhalle. Price: DM 20. Camping facilities, or overnight sleeping on the floor of the gym on foam mats. Opportunities for street shows in the old part of town. For more information and advance registration, please: Saarlouis Stadtinfo, GroBer Markt, 6630 Saarlouis, Tel. 06831 443263

Karlsruhe 7-9.6.1991 Contact: Tassilo Timm, Kronenstr. 30, 7500 Karlsruhe 1, Tel. 07211333838 (daytime) or 0721 373469 (evenings)

Austria, Klagenfurf 20-23.6.1991 Don't forget! 20.6.: Public hearing and official launch of the Juggling Prize 1992. (See page 17). Price: 280 Schillings (DM 40). Campsite, trapeze and teeterboard workshops! For details: ATIK-Handelsagentur Ede Wallisch, Anzengruberstr. 12, A-9020 Klagenfurt, Austria, Tel. 0463 262388

Convention Calendar 1991

Please Note! New Dates!! Ulm 29-30.6.1991 Details: Ulmer Zelt, Postfach 3980, 7900 Ulm, Tel. 0731 66441

Switzerland, Arbon 22-23.6.1991 Seeparksaal Conference Centre. Accommodation: camping, or, for SFr. 6 in an air-raid shelter. For details: Felix Hinninger, Pestalozzistr. 4, CH-9320 Arbon, (Lake Constance), Tel. 071 462395

Blandford, Dorset 8.7.1991 Juggling from still 8. Unfortunately, no camping facilities. Details from: Blandford Music Week Organizers, Tel. 0258 453294

Dortmund 13.-14.7.1991 Revierpark Wischlingen. Free festival, with camping and swimming pool on site. Big party with an open juggling competition and valuable prizes. For details: Take Off, Hohestr. 22, 4600 Dortmund, 0231162595

/JA Convention 16-21.7.1991 Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri. Details from: IJA, PO Box 3707, Akron, OH 44314, or Tom Bennett, Tel. 216 7453552

Erlangen 1-4.8.1991 Where: "An den Kellem" on the Burgberg in Erlangen. Camping facilities available. Motorway exit Erlangen Nord. No obligation to perform or hold/take part in workshops. Open stage: Fri and Sat., Children's show, Sat. and Sun. Free. Details: Bernhard Schermeyer, Drausnickstr. 86, 8520 Erlangen, Tel. 09131 54434

14th European Juggling Convention, Verona, 29.8. -1.9.1991 The 14th European Juggling Convention is on! It will take place in the ancient city of Verona in Northern Italy on August 29, 30, 31 and September 1, 1991. We have been given use of the Palasport and surrounding facilities for the convention site and the Roman amphitheatre - Teatro Romano - for the public shows.

The cost of the four days will be about 30,000 Lire (£15). There is lots of space on floors for jugglers with sleeping bags - we've been promised thousands of mattresses. There is ample green space for camping and a huge car park for those with vehicles. A list of good hotels will be available soon. There will be a creche for your kids, good and inexpensive food and bars!

The City of Verona is beautiful, and the weather should be hot, so plan for an afternoon siesta and juggle late into the night! The convention site is about 3km from the centre of town, which is mostly pedestrianized, full of idyllic piazzas, cafes and tourists - a great place to do shows! The parade and games will be outside the Roman Arena on the Saturday. We are planning two public shows this year (on Friday and Saturday nights) so that more people can attend, and there will be an outdoor open stage at the convention site every night, starting late and really open to anyone and anything!

The venue has been found, the rest is up to you. Write and let us know what you want in the workshops, what you want to see in the public show. What was wrong last year? What can we arrange for you? Let us know. Write to Jules at the address given. Very importantly, if you want to help before or during the convention, let us know now. Translators, artists, organizers, caterers needed. Lots to do.

Jules and Doug - "Slaves of the EJA, Servants of the People" Contact: Jules Howarth, Musicaviva, Via Adigetto 6, I-37122 Verona, Italy; or Doug Orton, 104 Albert Road, Sheffield, SS 9RA, England, Tel. 0742 555351

Dieburger StraBe 62 6100 Darmstadt Telefon 0 61 51 · 78 44 89

0

DuccastraBe 9 8750 Aschaffenburg Telefon 0 60 21 · 1 59 56

21/Kaskade 27

U nsere Einrader sind das Ergebnis langjahriger Erfahrung im Einradbau. Die Gabel wird mit hochfestem Nickellot verlbtet. Die Kugellageraufnahme ist maschinenbaugerecht mit Seeg­

ring ausgefUhrt. Das Ergebnis ist kompromiBlos. Ausfuhrung in Chrom oder Kunststoffbeschichtung.

PICHLERRAD · K. PICHLER · STEINSTR. 23 · 7500 KARLSRUHE · TEL. 07 21 / 37 61 66

Convention Calendar 1991

USSR, Tbilisi, Georgia 8-14.9.1991 Tue capital city of Georgia, Tuilisi, has invited all jugglers to be their guests. We only have to pay for our own transportation. Accommodation, meals, etc. are free. The EJA is negotiating with Aeroflot for a charter flight Berlin-Thilisi-Berlin leaving one week after Verona. (Maybe a new duration record for numbers of clubs kept in the air!) The cost for the flight and visa applications is approx. £300. If jugglers want to make their own travel arrangements they should still contact us to reserve space in Tuilisi, and get their visa. Due to bureaucracy you cannot leave it till the last minute to make a decision! If you want to come along and juggle with some of the world's best jugglers, send a £50 deposit with your full name and passport details to: Haggis McLeod, 2 St. Edmonds Cottage, Glastonbury, Somerset, England, Tel: (44) 458 34484

Woodhouse Park, near Bristol 21-29.9.1991 Camping and juggling. Adults £45, kids over 8 years, £25. For details: John Carter, Lockyers Farm, Emblett Lane, Compton Dundon, Somerton, Somerset TAll 6PE, Tel. 0831 146025

Lombok, Indonesia 27-31.12.1991 After receiving letters from people who are interested in attending the convention, we regret to inform you that the national security authorities of Indonesia are giving us a hard time. We hope that with a letter of recommendation from the EJA and the IJA, together with videos, we can convince the FBI that circus people and jugglers do not constitute a security risk. Final details will be published in the next Kaskade.

Price: US$ 80-100, incl. accommodation, food, transport from Mataram to Gili Meno and back, T-shirt, public show and party. We will try to organize cheap group excursions.

For details: Klaus and Zubaidah Ballier, 11. Pelikan 16, Mataram-Lombok-NTB, Indonesia, Tel. 0062(0)36423447, Fax: 0062(0)36422020.

What Else Is On

Variety Programmes Jong/eurs, as the name implies, is the venue in London where you can expect to see jugglers, at least from time to time. During the coming months, the programme will be featuring: THE TWO MARKS, comedy duo with stiltwalking and juggling (April 12-13, May 24-25, June 28-29) PAUL MOROCCO, who among other things juggles fruit and computers (April 15) STEVE RAWLINGS, who juggles furniture (April 26-27)

Also recommended: PIERRE, a wild act with lots of audience participation (April 12-13, May 17-18); THE RUBBER BISHOPS; THE TRACEY BROTHERS; and CHRIS LUBIE, whose speciality is making weird noises (you can really feel his dentist's drill coming at you!). And lots of stand-up comedians. See the London listings magazines for up-to-date programme information.

Jongleurs is at 49 Lavender Gardens, London SW15 6SN. It's always full, so advance booking is essential: Tel. 081-780 1151. It's a club, so you pay a membership fee of £5 (for one person, who can bring as many guests as they want)+ £7 per night per person.

21 /Kaskade 29

®® 1'® 1' 1' 1'® 1'®® THE SCANDINAVIAN

SUPPLIER OF JUGGLING EQUIPMENT.

dube, Juggle Bug Jonglerie Diffusion

Semcycle Books, Magic

Mailorder

n:Y' Cirkusrekvisita RB Box 64, 640 61 Stallarholmen

Sweden Tel +46 152-404 70 Fax +46 152 400 95

®® 1'® 1' 1' 1'® 1'®®

JONGLAGE IM NOPDEN

JONGLIERARTIKEC • BALLONE THEATERSCHMINKE MASKEN & NASEN

WORKSHOPS: PROGRAMM AUF ANFRAGE

FORDERN SIE UNSEREN KATALOG AN !

(Gegen DM 1,80 in Briefmarken)

IC FL~C

30 Kaskade/21

What Else Is On

Variety Programmes Tigerpalasf, Frankfurt, (Tues-Sat), 2 April - 1 June 1991 GEORGETfE DEE, Chansons and compere, OTTO WESSEL Y, crazy magic; ERIC & AMELIE (Cirque du Soleil, gold medal Cirque de Demain 1991), acrobatic tango; OZ BROZ, tumbling act; ANTONIO ALVAREZ, juggler (silver medal, Cirque de Demain 1991); MIGUEL ALVAREZ, tightrope; PLUS the TIGERPALAST resident band.

Variete am Kil/esberg, Stuttgart, (Di.-Mi., sa. so.) May: "Tadschikischer Markt" - staring Dancetroupe LOLA (Duschanbe, Tadschikistan) and artist from the UdSSR June: "Strass & Steil" - RED REYDER, DUO DANEE, MAGIC ORVELLIS, DUO LIZ & STEVE, BOUGLIONE TIGER July: "Moskauer Lichter" - MIMIKRITSCHl-Clowns (Kiew) and BIM-BOM, Musik and dance theatre(Moskau)

Polygon, Zurich (Mon-Sat) Until the end of April VALDIS & LIBERO, Clowns, ROLAND HENRIQUEZ, Mask theatre, DIE KAPRIOLEN, Jugglers, LIZ & STEVE, Partner acrobatics, TAMARA, Drag artiste, MICHAEL HITZ, Harlequin, ERIC BRENN, Plate-spinning, plus the POLYGON DANCERS.

May/June TEBE & LEISTE, Acrobats, OLIVER GROSZER, Juggler, PETER SHUB, Mime­clown, MR. ROJAS, Shadow artist , JOY PETERS, Singer , MAGI BORMETTLER, Organo magico, ALEX PORTER

Tour Dates Ra Ra ZOO will be touring the UK with their production "Fabulous Beasts": 23-27 April: Albany Empire, South-East London, 7-11 May: Jackson's Lane, London, 12 May: Brighton Festival, 20-25 May: Mayfest, Glasgow

In June there is the possibility of a tour of Germany and Austria. In July and August, Ra Ra Zoo will be working on a co-production with the Green Candle Dance Company, entitled "Swan". This will be an outdoor event involving professional performers as well as members of the community, and will be staged in London during the last week in August.

Snapdragon Circus 20.5.-1.6. Nottingham, 3.6.-8.6. Howdenshire Live Arts, 10.6.-16.6. Warminster Arts, Centre, 25.6.-30.6. Newbury, 2.7.-7.7. Finchley Carnival, 9.7.-14.7. Isle of Wight Arts Festival, 16.7-21.7. Beaford, N. Devon Festival, 23.7-28.7. Basingstoke, 30.7.-4.8. Gosport, 7.8.-11.8. Oldham Show, 13.8.-18.8. Corby Community Arts, 20.8.-25.8. Llandrindod Wells, 27.8.-1.9. Barrow-in-Furness, 3.9.-8.9. Cardiff, 10.9-15.9. Grimsby

What Else Is On

Workshops

Koiner Spielecircus, Cologne, Gennany: is running the following workshops: 20-21 April: Oub passing, with Georg Muller of Double U. C. 27-28 April: Acrobatics, with the Como Brothers. For details, contact: Kolner Spielecircus, WiBmannstr. 38, 5000 Koln-Ehrenfeld, Tel. 0221 562254.

Summerschool for theater and street theater, Graz, Austria, 4-24 August 1991. They offer advanced stage direction workshops on theater, mime and bizarre­grotesque theater and workshops on street theater, dance theater, musical, mime/masks, flamenco, sound-body-voice and circus skills. There is a "Circusschool for children" from 7-26 Juli 1991. Information: Thomas Svoboda, Greimelweg 3, A-8301 LaBnitzhOhe, Tel: 03133 2942

FESTIVALS Oranjeboom Straaffestival The 5th International oranjeboom Street Perfonners' Festival will be taking place from 16-18 August 1991 in Rotterdam, and once again the organizers are looking for a wide variety of street acts to participate. The theme is "new circus" - combining skills like juggling, mime, acrobatics, magic, comedy, music, puppets and dance in a theatrical and clownesque way. Numbers are limited, so if you are interested in taking part, contact Paul Griffioen in Holland, tel. 010 4780345. For full infonnation and an entry form, write to Oranjeboom Straatfestival, Schiedamsedijk 7la, 3011 EK Rotterdam, Holland.

International Competition for Amateur Circus Artists, International Competition for Jugglers. In May 1990 a Circus and Variety Association was set up in the Soviet Union with a wide range of aims and objectives. One of these is to organize bookings and exchange opportunities for artists, both professionals and amateurs. Another is to hold lectures, exhibitions, and workshops, and organize ways of marketing circus props and equipment.

The Association has also set itself the major challenge of organizing two competitions, the first in June for amateur artists (closing date for entries, 1.5.91) and the second in August specifically for jugglers (closing date for entries 15.6.91). Accommodation and logistics will be taken care of. The final decision on admission to the competitions will take place at auditions in Russia.

The organizers are also looking for people who may be interested in supporting these festivals, either in the form of sponsorship, donating a prize or participating in a programme of cultural events surrounding the main competition. Advertisers are welcome during the festival.

For infonnation: Far Eastern Association of Circus Art and Variety, Russia 680 003 Khabarovsk 3 Sojuznaya St. 70 Apt.1, Tel. 555574, Tlx. 141110, Fax 330312.

JotJGLIER­UIVD

RRTl.STIK-

W1R FlJHR<N u A. RUE PROOU><~

()(A MRMA ~A . 0FFNUIVGSZclT£1\1•

HO-FR -15--1830 UHR

SA 10-12 UHR

• * Join The IJA! The 3,000 members of the International+ Jugglers Association worldwide invite you to join this 44-year-old society of juggling friends. Membership includes the quarterly journal, "Juggler's World." Send $30 US for annual European dues * to: IJA; Box3707;AkronOH44314; USA Telephone 216/745-3552.

• .. \ ~};.\ · "(\!\ ~· .• t\~\}\\.. \\\~. ~~\.~-~:r~·~;:;-;, ,• ·.· .. lJ: 99 i···.· ... ·.·

21 /Kaskade 31

Letters

Thinking with both sides of the brain ... the continuing nonsense

It's taken me 5 months to get around to writing this letter. I was finally prompted by Toby Philpott's article, "On the other hand", which was supposed to be a continuation of the ideas contained in Danny Avrutick's "Juggling on Both Sides of the Brain". It did indeed remind me of all the nonsense which that self­appointed New Age juggling guru comes out with. Master Danny obviously knows exactly where it's at. He has clearly awoken to "the Real Reason behind everything (before, in­cluding and since birth)" and teaches us that "juggling too plays its part in deepening the consciousness and reflecting harmony with the cosmic force." Not only does Danny preach ways in which we can "experience new levels of mastery" - "from a cosmic point of view" - but also teaches us that many of the problems in our "left-brained" world could be solved, or even avoided altogether, by a healthy dose of left- and right-brained juggling.

Danny counters potential critics of his doctrine of salvation in the classical manner of a preacher: Whoever dares to contradict this nonsense has not made it all that far down the road to enlightenment, or - to quote Danny - "has not yet perceived the connection."

What I find so annoying about Danny's article, apart from the fact that Kaskade is evidently prepared to print anything it can get its hands on without so much as a comment, is the following:

I'm fed up with juggling being requisitioned for some fashionable ideological bandwagon or other. In the last "Jugglers' World", one reader feels called upon to inform the congregation of jugglers that he sees his art as an act of service to his "Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ". (So what?!)

Why, I ask myself, is it so difficult to see juggling simply as an enjoyable activity, to realize and accept that there are probably as many different reasons for, and attitudes to juggling as there are jugglers?

Where does this mysterious Danny get the idea that he has to invent a personal juggling ideology and inflict it upon the rest of the juggling world?

The other aspect of Danny's article which annoyed me is that he recommends internalization (intensive feeling, juggling on both sides of the brain) as a solution to the problems of this left­brained world, dismissing in true New Age style the possibility of any critical (rational) approach. Well, Danny, I can assure you that in this cerebral world "cosmic" juggling, no matter how well intentioned, won't get you very far. Certainly not without any rationality or logic, with which you have completely lost touch, as your article amply demonstrates. Best wishes,

Axel Junker, Madison, WI, USA

The scientific approach to movement I must disagree with comments made by (often famous) performers advising learning dance and gymnastics - two of the biggest rip-offs in mov~ment. Most of the classes and programmes and books I've checked out do not approach it scientifically but 99.99% as art. In other words, if you do what they say, wave your arms and strut in vanity; think (or brainwash yourself) that you're performing and (ahum) "turning people on" and you too can join the snobby set.

The "only" useful aspect of dance training is "Laban notation", which you can learn from texts.

Gymnastics is for the elite, especially the snobby elite. The most difficult (and practical) aspect is tumbling. Almost all gymnasts seem to do back flips or somersaults, and if a double, they'll twist so they mostly face landing. Try a fundamental tumbling book with exercises involving arching the lower back.

In the English language, the only help you'll get in either dance or gymnastics books is mechanics. Most sports

32 Kaskade/21

programmes have kinesiology texts which cover both anatomy and the bio-mechanics. I have found "Physics of Dance", "Science of Movements", "Biomechanics" and similar titles in departments related to bio-mechanics, physics (classical mechanics - Newton and Galileo) and muscular physiology. The books on dance, acrobatics, gymnastics, etc are some kind of commercial joke. They can't teach you "technique" because they have never learned it themselves. But Laban is worth it. I've had much better success with choreography, directing or coaching books than the actual dance, acting, player literature. Even they avoid science as far as possible.

Just study the physics of movement and bio-mechanics. Later you can look at so-called "practical" performing books that admonish you to use your imagination, but are in fact just selling hope (and vanity).

Leslie J. Borbely, West Virginia, USA

Letters

Your input is welcome Since the EJA advises the jugglers orgamzmg the yearly convention, we need feedback from jugglers. What you like and don't like, what you want and don't want. We try to stimulate each year's convention to be something new, with a different setting, atmosphere and events. We welcome your ideas, and with them we can only make the conventions better.

in Verona (or wherever else), then it would happen. l just hope it is someplace warm!

Jugglers find the location and decide when the convention is held, not the EJA. So ... start looking around for a nice spot for 1992! Any other ideas, comments or suggestions can be mailed to the EJA, 1 Rue du Cirque, F-44000 Nantes, France.

Lee Hayes, Amsterdam In Kaskade 20, HerrBert voiced some popular thoughts. I

agree that the convention is a "meeting place for amateur jugglers" but it is just as well a meeting place for the professionals, and hopefully a place where both can mix freely as "jugglers". I think the topics Herr Bert wanted to discuss ("performing, putting shows together, new commercial projects and the like") were being talked about as much as the latest tricks, just not in a formal setting. Had HerrBert spent more than one day, and looked in the cafe instead of the gym, he might have found what he was looking for.

Freedom of speech

As for the "unfortunate scheduling at the end of August", I can't agree with him more. The convention doesn't have to be then, but has gotten stuck there because it is when most large halls are available. If somebody had a proposal for where we could hold a February convention, and the jugglers voted for it

Your magazine is a refreshing alternative to all those other juggling publications. You represent freedom of speech in the juggling world. Keep writing those fascinating articles concerning the views of professional jugglers and their craft.

Have a Happy New Year!

Susan Kirby, Saratoga Springs, USA

The Grand Order of Fools

The Grand Order of Fools, a group of over 30 jugglers, entertained audiences for two hours with street shows and col­lected a total of £807.09 for the BBC's "Children In Need" Appeal.

International Juggling Prize, Klagenfurt,

Austria 1992

The Artistik und Tanzinitiative (ATIK), in conjunction with a commercial spon­sor and the City of Klagenfurt, aim to stage a Competition in June 1992 to award an International Juggling Prize. The organizers point out that all art forms (painting, dance, etc.), whilst rooted in tradition, are in a constant state of devel­opment. However, this has scarcely been reflected in the classical circus disci­plines, where change has hardly taken place. Juggling, as one of these arts, still

seems to focus on the fascination of sheer skill. However, rather than the focus, skill should only be the starting point for artistic content which "connects" with the audience, say the organizers.

This is the basic thinking behind the prize. However, the organizers would like to work out the exact conditions for entry and the judging criteria in discus­sion with jugglers and other performers at a public hearing during the Austrian Jug­gling Festival in Klagenfurt on 20th June 1991. All are warmly invited to take part in the discussion.

Michael Moschen

At the end of last year, Michael Moschen was awarded a MacArthur Prize. You can't apply for this prize, it is only given to people whose exceptionally innovative achievements in their particular field have reached the attention of the jury. Michael received $180,000 in order to carry on doing what he likes doing best, which is to develop innovative ideas. And good luck to him!

Odds& Sods

Crossword Puzzle The solution to the crossword puzzle in No.20 was "Hat Manipulation" . There were no less than 5 entries, and the prize of a hand-painted T-shirt was awarded to the lucky winner, Henning Lierse. Hon­estly.

Have you got a light?

Steve Rawlings of London has sent us this appeal. Tell us the name of the fuel which jugglers in your country use to dip their torches in. And where can you buy the stuff? Steve, who's been all over the world, could have saved himself a lot of trouble if he'd known the answer to these questions . At times he has been given highly explosive concoctions, while at others he was fobbed off with something harmless that burnt with an invisible flame! So please contribute to the com­pilation of a complete directory of torch­burning-fluids by sending your informa­tion to Kaskade. (Please remember to ob­serve European Community norms!)

21/Kaskade 33

Smallads

Do you love the circus? Do you have a special affection for circus as a grand tradition and as a unique form of enter­tainment? If so, you would enjoy being a member of the CIRCUS FRIENDS' AS­SOCIATION which, for nearly 60 years, has kept its members in touch with all that is new and exciting in the world of Circus. For full details, please send a postage paid international reply coupon to: The Membership Secretary, 43 Wa­terloo Lane, Skellingthorpe, Lincoln LN6 5SJ, Great Britain.

A tip for your torches: Why use more expensive stuff when you could use Isopropanol? Available from most chemists.

Lift wanted to 14th European Convention. Contact: Stefan Schneider, Kirbergstr. 31 , 5910 Kreuztal 6, Germany, Tel. 02732 81310

Used 20" unicycle wanted. Christian Nelles, Tel. (Germany) 06071 43750 or 48538.

The Cycologist, the quarterly newsletter of the IUF, lampoons unicyclists while occasionally going for the juggler. Photos of your friends doing a dumb are frequently featured. Distributed jointly with On One Wheel, newsletter of the Unicycling Society of America. $15/yr ($25/yr foreign) in US funds to: Curt Morgan, Editor, The Cycologist, 5109 Vera Cruz Dr., Garland, TX 75043, USA

Kaskade No.2 (English edition) wanted to complete my set (No.l-No.20) I'm prepared to pay a good price. Write or phone: Julian Voge, 86 Comiston Drive, Edinburgh EHlO 5QT, Great Britain, Tel. 031447 0431

Flat wanted: Clown HerrBert (1990 Circus Flic Flac) is looking for a nice, friendly, large flatful of people to live with on a long-term basis. Who can help? Udo Koch, Sackgasse 8, 6940 Weinheim, Germany, Tel. 06201 17149

Circus tent for sale, DM 3,800. Bauer­Kruger, Tel. (Germany) 05444 5786.

• SHOWS • WORKSHOPS • EQUIPMENT SALES

SEMCYCLES 20", 24", 26", 6' CHAIN DRIVEN

SQUEEZ-ITS MANY COLORS, IN 60 MM AND 72 MM SIZES

XL UNICYCLES An all new line of affordable SEMCYCLE-designed unicycles featuring the best of conventional unicycle technology. Available in 16", 20" and 24" wheel sizes.

Call or write for our latest catalog and dealers near you.

DARREN BEDFORD SEM ABRAHAMS ENG. 71 JASPER AVENUE TORONTO, ONTARIO

M6N 2N2 CANADA 416-767-6074

BOX 1675 TERESA &: SEM P. 0 . BOX 40353

REDFORD, MI 48240 U.S.A.

34 Kaskade/21

3600 BR MAARSSEN HOILAND

PHONE:03465-70563 FAX: 03465-76007

PH./FAX: 313-537-8175

Unicycle for sale, 24", hardly used. DM 100. Can be sent. Raffzahn's Variete, Tel. (Germany) 0271 71564

Mexican Cotton Hammocks, multi­coloured or white/natural colour. (DM 35 I 55 I 75). For colour catalogue, write to: HAMACA-Versand, c/o Berti Zins, Kl. Falterstr. 14, 7000 Stuttgart 70, Tel. 0711 761072

Back in Hamburg soon after a year at Fool Time in Bristol, I am urgently looking for opportunities in Northern Germany to continue working at clown­theatre, acrobatics and above all trapeze! Please write to me if you know of anything: Dorte Maack, 30 Cabourg Road, Bristol BS6 5HX, England

A Workel a day keeps the doctor away. And if you workel (B.E. workle) all day long, you won't even have to go to the dentist!

Jugglers wanted

Augsburg: Are there any amateur jugglers in this area who are interested in a regular open meeting? If so, contact: Joe Ott, Tel. 0821 69483

Essen: I'm looking for someone to practise, pass and later perform with. Raimund Friese, Uhlenbank 30, 4300 Essen 14, Germany, Tel. 0201 585769

Also, jugglers wanted: who would like to start a juggling meeting in the Siegen area? Contact: Stefan Schneider, Kirbergstr. 31, 5910 Kreuztal 6, Germany, Tel. 02732 81310

Stuttgart: Hey you! Yes, I mean you! Are you a juggler living in the Stuttgart area who is looking for a partner for shows (stage and street work)? You are? Then get in touch with me now: Martin, tel. 0711 606965

Non commercial ads are free. For commercial ads see p.38.

AUSTRIA

GRAZ Mon. 5pm, GrabenstraBe 39a (Verein Briicke). Contact: Rainer Kodritsch, Tel. 41360

VIENNA Freiraum, Davidgasse 79, 1100 Wien, Tel. 0222 6042196.

Verein Schwerkraft. Tel. 0222 2403055 or 3567305

BELGIUM

BRUSSELS Contact: L'Ecole Sans Filet, Chaussee de Boondael 104, B-1050 Bruxelles. Tel. 02 6401571

DENMARK

AALBORG Sportsh1jskolen, Annebergvej. Thurs. 5.30 -10 pm. Contact: Tel. 98 90882

FLENSBORG Tues. 6-9 pm, PH hall or garden, Contact Sebastian, Tel. 09461 47263

COPENHAGEN Mon. 7-11 pm Medborgerhuset "Hmen", Ahlefeldtsgade 33. During the summer: Sundays, 1 pm around the fountain in Kongens Have. Contact: Erik, Tel. 31 318864, or Mette, Tel. 31 121826

FRANCE

LYON Contact: Jean-Claude Meunier, 44/o Rue Carnot, 69190 St. Fons, Tel. 16(7) 8670219

NANTES La Bemardiere, Rue de Dijon, St. Herblain (a suburb of Nantes)

PARIS Creation d'un atelier de jonglage a Paris. Pour to ut renseignement, s'adresser a Edouard Fixe, Tel. 45.43.24.20.

Workshops by the ADAC, organized by the Mairie de Paris. Thurs. 6.30 pm at 3 rue Amyot, 75005 Paris. (Costs 300 FF for 3 months)

"Forum des Halles", an infonnal meeting takes place almost every afternoon.

RENN ES Contact: L'urent Gautier, 32 rue du Dr. Frarn;ois Joly, 35000 Rennes

TOURS Contact: Compagnie Off, Tel. 47 05 57 05

GERMANY

AACHEN Tues. from 5 pm in the Westpark, Fri. from 11 am in wintertime: Sportshall of fonmer PH, Ahomstr. Contact: Krenne Aymans,Tel. 0241 531720 or: Uli Schneider, Tel. 0241 505485

AHLEN Mon. 5pm Bl'Irgerzentrum (fine wether:Stadtpark), Contact: Knallfrosch, Tel. 02382 80080

ATTENDORN Mon. from 5 pm (fine weather): Alter Markt (in front of the museum). If the weather is rea lly bad: Jugendzentrum Attendom (Youth Centre), Heggener Weg 9. Contact: Jugendzentrum Attendom, Tel. 02722 50091

BAD REICHENHALL Contact: Robert Hehenberger, Tel. 08651 66769

BAMBERG Mon. 5.30-7 pm, VHS Hall. Contact: Annette Grabiger,Tel. 0951 203192

BERLIN Tues. 6 pm Statthaus Biicklerpark in the Biicklerpark, Kreuzberg.

BIELEFELD Mon. 7 pm, Gymnastics Hall at the University. Contact: Jens Kordtomeikel, Melanchthonstr. 58, Bielefeld l

BOCH UM Fri . 8-10 pm, Bochum-Weme. Contact: Manfred and Dieter, Fahrradladen und Balance, Tel. 0234 12051-52

BRAUNSCHWEIG Sun. 3 pm in the Prinzenpark (fine weather) or in the FBZ-Atelier (bad weather).

Wed. 7 pm, sports hall of the Neuen Oberschule, Beethovenstral3e. Contact: Karin, Tel. 0531 49702

BREMEN Mon., Thurs. and Fri. at 7 pm in the foyer of the University sports centre (winter) and

in the Bl'Irgerpark (near the Stem) (summer). Contact: Helger, Tel. 04293 585

BREMERHAVEN Mon. 7 pm Freizeitheim Lehe-Treff, Eupener Str., 2850 Bremerhaven. Contact: Joachim Hamm, Tel. 04749 497

BROHL (NEAR COLOGNE) Sat. pm, on the field at Heider Sports Ground. Contact: Andreas Grob, Tel. 02232 44707 or Dette NeuB, Tel. 02232 22144

COLBE Wed. 5.45-7.15 pm Gemeindehalle Col be. Contact: Heinz Paiz-Gerling, Tel. 06421 85413

DARMSTADT Wed., 8-10 pm in the small sports hall at the Lichtenberg School, Ludwigshohstr. 105. Contact: Achim Voigt, Tel. 06159 5551

Thurs. 6-10 pm at the Technische Hochschule (Technical College), old main building, HochschulstraBe, Room 11/25. Contact: Till Pohlmann 06151 712440 or Andreas Hecker 06151 292861 or Claus Schmauch 06245 45354

DORTMUND Mon. 7-9.30 pm Freizeitzentrum West, Neuer Graben 167. Contact: Sebastian Schlund, Tel. 0231 421928

DOLMEN Thurs. 6-S.15 pm sports hall Kardinal-von­Galen-Schule, Haverlandhohe 10, Contact : Janbemd Bremer, Tel: 02'i94 4217

DOS BURG Di. 19-21.00 Uhr, Jugendzentrum Duisburg- Marx loch, Contact : Lutz Hummembrum, Tel: 0203 341235 oder Richard Scholl, Tel: 02136 38407

DOSSELDORF Mon. 7-10 pm in the ZAKK, Fichtenstr. 40, Diisseldorf-Flingem. Contact: Guido Volkmar, Tel. 0211 4380803

Sat. 15 pm, Volksgarten, Contact: K.-P. van der Wingen, Tel : 0211 786565

EMDEN Mon. 7 .30-10 pm, Burgerhaus Barenburg,

Meetings

Hermann-Allmers-Str. 105, Contact: Engelbert, Tel. 04921 43605

ERLANG EN Tues. and Thurs. from 8 pm in the "E­Werk". Contact: Bernhard Schermeyer, Tel: 09131 54434

ESSEN Fri. 7-9.30pm, sportshall old Pad. Hochschule, Henry.Dumant-Str., 4300 Essen-Riittenscheid, Kontakt: Klaus Borkens, Tel. 0201 347650, oder 0201 787385

ESSLINGEN Thurs. 7 pm, Jugendhaus "Komma", In der Maille 5. Contact: Roger Weber, Tel : 0711 312997

FULDA Thurs. 8-10 pm, Jugendtreff, Contact: Peter, Tel: 0661 606479, Thonas, Tel: 06642 5740

FRANKFURT Mon. 5.30-10 pm, Haus der Jugend (Jugendherberge), Deutschherrenufer 12, in good wether on the other side of the river (Schone Aussicht)

Tues. 6-10 pm u. Wed. 6-10.30 pm in the main hall of Fachhochschule Frankfurt (Technical College), Nibelungenallee, Ecke Friedberger Landstral3e. Contact: Thomas Mill, Tel. 069 449904, Manfred Disser, 069 465100

FREIBURG Contact: Bruno Zuhlke, Maienstr. l, 7800 Freiburg i. Br., Tel. 0761 74991

FREISING Wed. 6-10 pm, JUZ Freising Youth Centre. Contact: Thilo Matschke, Tel. 0816162327

FREILASSING Contact: Maximilian Auerbach, Tel. 08654 2778

GIESSEN Sun. 7.30 pm. Fine weather: sports ground on the bank of the Lahn. Bad weather: Credner S tr. 6 (at the back). Contact: Ebi 0641 53200, Peter 06403 71284, Alex 0644146393

GOTT!NGEN Fri. 2-4 pm and Sun. 5.30-7.30 pm in the KAZ, Hospitalstrasse 6. Contact: Reinhard, Tel. 05541 72988

Meetings

HAGEN Moo. 6-8 pm in the Pelmke School, Pelmkestr. 14. Contact: Manfred SchloBer, Tel. 02331 15788 or 02331 79408

HAMBURG Wed. 3-6 pm in the gym of the University Sports Faculty, Rothenbaum­chaussee/furmweg. Contact: Kay Krauel, Tel. 040 2297962, or Martin Schneider, Tel. 7540731

HAMFLN Thues. 6-9 pm, Kinderwohnheim "SchrappmUhle", D-32)8 Aerzen/OT Grupenhagen. Contact: Klaus Nagel, 05154/1059 or 4330

HAN AU Thurs. 7-10 pm Olaf Palme House. Contact: Detlef, Tel. 06181 2)6437

HANOVER Tues. from 5 pm, Haus der evangelischen Jugend. Contact : Sebastian Mecklenburg, Tel. 0511 344778

Thurs. 7 pm in the UJZ Glocksee, Glockseestrasse.

HEIDELBERG Mon. and Fri. 8-10 pm. Rhein-Neckar­Halle Eppelheim. In fine weather, on the banks of the Neckar. Contact: Keule & Co., Tel 06221 12199

HERNE/RECKLING HAUSEN Meeting almost every day. Contact: Katie, Tel. 02361 491597

KARLSRUHE Summer and fine weather: in the SchloBgarten on the big field, or at the Temple. Winter: Mon., Wed. und Thurs. evening. Contact: Jutta C. Beyer, Tel. 0721 28530 (evenings)

KASSEL Wed. 3.30-6 pm, Haus der Jugend, Alt­markt. Contact: Joachim Wondrak, Tel. 05605 6401 or Lambert Zumbragel, Tel. 0561874400

KELKHEIM Sun 2pm Stadthalle Kelkheim, (in fine wether "Im MUhlgrund"), Contact : Stefan Thalheimer, Tel. 06195 62395

KEMPIBN Thurs. 6-9 pm, Jugendhaus, LondwehrstraBe. Contact: R. Jager, Tel. 0831 27866

KIEL Thurs. 7-9pm, Universitat Kiel , Sportforum, Gynastikhalle, Contact: Helge, Tel. 0431 87748

KOBLENZ Tues. 8-9.30 pm, Kulturfabrik Koblenz, Mayer-Alberti-Str.11, Tel. 0261 85280, Contact: Christo[ Niessen

Mon. 6-8.30 pm, Youth exchange in "Haus Mettemich", Mlinzplatz 7-8. Contact: Kristina Peters, 0261179227

KOLN Mon. and Tues 8-10 pm at Koiner Spielezirlms, Wissmannstr. 38, Tel. 0221 562254

KREFELD Wed. 6-8 pm, BI St. Josef, Corneliusstr. 43, Tel. 02151 778281. Contact: Ralph Hetbertz, Tel. 02151 3032)2

36 Kaskade/21

LANDS HUT Contact: Claus Meisslein, Tel: 0871 68983

LEM GO Sun. 7 pm, MWG-Hall. Contact: Richard Lunderst:.'idt, Tel. 0526110695

LEIPZIG Contact: Silke Uhlig, Windorfer Str. 45 a, 0-7031 Leipzig

LODENSCHEID Wed. 6-8.30 pm. Jugendzentrurn Schilletbad, Contact: Frank Kaiser, Tel: 02351 21776

MAJ NZ Tues. 7-10 pm Jugendzentrum (Youth Club) Mainz-Mombach (formerly Jahn­schule), ZeystraBe. Contact: Reinhold, Tel. 06131 833566

MARBURG During term-time: Fridays 9 pm at the Institut flir Leibesilbungen (=Sports Faculty of the University), BarfliBerstr. 1. Contact: Kathrin Tel. 06421 43759 or contact: Sebastian Gempf, Tel. 06423 7796

MONCHENGLADBACH Contact: Hermann-Josef Noll, Tel. 02165 2995

MOOSBURG Tues., sports hall Am Volksfestplatz. Contact: Sepp Bimkammer, Tel. 08761 2233

MUNICH Contact: Michael Hock, Tel. 089 763412

MONSTER Mon. 5.30 pm in the SchloBgarten (fine weather), or in winter and bad weather: ESG, Am Breu! 43. Contact: Olaf Zerfrowski, Tel. 0251 2301159

NORDHORN Wed.+ Fri.7-9 pm in Nordhorn Youth Centre, Barn. Contact: Inga Michael, Tel. 0592134379

OBERHAUSEN Thurs. 6-7.30 pm, Drucklufthaus, Am Fordertunn 27, Contact: Uli Klirsten, Tel: 0208 483246

OLDENBURG Tues. 7-8.30 pm, Thurs. 8.30-10 pm at the Carl von Ossietzky University, Uhlhomsweg (tenn-lime)

OSNABROCK Wed. 7.30 pm Fachhochschule, Westerberg site. Contact: Andre, Tel. 0541 682328 or Jlirgen, Tel. 0541 82655

PFORZHEIM Thues. 6-8 pm Sportshall "Arnmerau", Pforzheim-Wlirrn, Contact: Dirk Maibauer, Tel. 07231 79119

REUTLINGEN Mon. 7-9 pm in the "Zelle", Obere Wassere 3. Contact: Michael Kromer, Tel. 07129 6429

ROSSELSHEIM Tues. 6-10 pm in the "Freies Kulturcafe'', Mainstr. 11. Contact: Frank Liickert, Tel. 06142 71882

SAARBROCKEN Tues. 8.15-10 pm at the university (term­time only). Contact: Marl<us Jaschek, Tel. 068164786

SCHWEINFURT Tues. 6-8 pm in the Kultumaus/Schreinerei. Contact: Bernd Hofmann, Tel. 09721 86966

SOEST Thurs 4.30-6 pm, Pestalozzischule WindmUhlenweg. In summer: Theodor­Heus Parle. Contact: Winfried Pesch, Tel: 02921103284

STUTTGART Wed. 8-10 pm in the hall of the Adventure Playground West, SchwabstraBe. Contact: Hiltrud Henn, Tel. 0711 6242)4

Tues. 8 pm, Forum 3, Gymnasiurnstr. 21, Tel. 291178

TRJER Wed. 8-11 pm, Jugendzentrum Exzellenz­haus, Zunnaienerstr. 114 (in the gym on the first floor). Contact: Willy Rauchs, Tel. 0651 26882

TUTTLINGEN Contact: Michael Schmidt, Tel: 07461 17060

OBERLINGEN Thurs. 8-10 pm (apart from school holidays) in the Freie Waldorfschule, Rengolshausen. Cont.1ct: Johannes Hermann, Tel. 07551 1629

ULM Contact: Boris Traue, Tel: 0731 44569

VIERS EN Fri. 6.30-9 pm, Gemeindehaus Viersen, Konigsallee 26, Cont.1ct: Knut Prinzen, Tel: 02162 31278

WORZBURG Fri. 8.30-11 pm and Sun. 6-11 pm in the old sportshall Versbach. Cont.1ct: Jlirgen Popp, Tel: 0931 81932

GREAT BRITAIN

BRADFORD Fridays 5 pm Manningham Sports Centre, Bradford.Contact: Sam Scurfield, Tel. 0274 45720 (daytime) or 495098 (evening)

BRJGHTON Mon. 7.30-9.30. Kemptown Pier, 110 St. Georges Road (practice session). Tues. 1230-1.30 pm, Natural Health Centre,

Regents Street. (Workshop) Contact: Mim, Tel. 0273 698324

BRJSTOL Mon. 7.30-9.30 pm and Thurs. 7.30-9.30 pm at Fool Time, 40 Thomas St., Bristol BS2 9LL, Tel. 0272 556452

Tues. 7-9 pm, Horfield Parish Church Hall, corner of Church Road/Wellington Hill, Horfield.

BURY ST. EDMUNDS Tues. 7.30-9.30 pm. The Grapes, Brentgovel Street. Contact: Phil, Tel : 0359 31826

CAMBRIDGE Sun. 7-9.30 pm Cambridge Drama Centre, Covent Garden, Mill Road, Cambridge CBI 2HR. Tel. 0223 322748 - Richard or Richard!

CAMBRJDGE UNIVERSITY Wednesdays 8-10.30 pm (term-time) in Vivian Stuart Room, Newhall, Huntingdon Road, Cambridge. Contact: Michael Day.

CARDIFF Mon. nights, Sun. afternoons and occasionally on Tuesdays. Contact Ali 488734

CHELTENHAM Sundays 6-9 pm at The Youth Centre, Grosvenor St., Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Contact: Andy Clay, Tel. 024252142)

DERBY Thurs. 7-9 pm at Derby Community Arts. Contact: Lindsay Davies, Tel. 0332 295235

EDINBURGH Monday 7-9.30 pm. Tollcross Community Centre, Contact: Angelo, Tel. 031 228 1386

HARWICH Wed. 7-10 pm, Sea-Scout-Hut, Off Main Rd., Contact: Nod 241272

HASTINGS Fri. 7.30-9.30 pm, St. Clements Church Hall, Cont.1ct: Russell, Tel. 0424 430857

HEBDEN BRIDGE, YORKS. Mon. 6-8 pm. Melbourne St., Hebden Bridge, Yorl<shire. Tel. 844897

LEEDS Wed. 6.30-8.30 pm. Woodhouse Community Centre, Woodhouse Street, Woodhouse, Cont.1ct: Pete, Tel. 789437 (daytime) or Clare, Tel. 489497 (evenings)

LIVERPOOL Thurs. 8-10 pm in Toxteth Sports Centre. Contact: Max and Joe, Tel. 727 1074 or Jon, Tel. 734 4831.

LONDON Sun. 12-4 pm Columbo Street Sports Centre. Contact Max and Susi , Tel. 01 -809 5005

Tues. 7-10 pm, The Circus Space, the timber store, United House, North Road, London N7 9DP. For information, Tel. 01-700 0868

Tues. 7.30-9.30 pm at Henry Thornton School, Clapham Common South Side. Cont.1ct: Dug Orton, Tel. 01-671 2336

Wed. 7-10 pmat East Finchley Youth and Drama Centre, 142 East Finchley High Road, N2. Contact Max & Susi (see Sun.)

Wed. 7.30-9.30 pm at Burntwood School, West Hi 11, SW 18. Contact Dug Orton (see Tues.

1burs. 7.30-9.30 pm at Tulse Hill School , Upper Tulse Hi 11, SW2. Contact Richard Briscoe, Tel. 01-671 2987

Fri. 1.30-3.30 pm at the Strand Centre, Elm Park, SW2. Contact Richard Briscoe (see Thurs.)

MANCHESTER Sun. 1230-3 pm, Birch Community Centre, Birch Grove, Rusholme. Cont.1ct: Clive, Tel. 061 881 5283

NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE Tues. 5-7 pm, Newcastle Polytechnic Students Union Juggling Club, Coot.1ct: Michele, Tel. 091 2721089

Tues. 7.30-9 pm, Church Hall, Brighton Grove, Fenham. Contact: Jim, c/o Tel. 091 2320297

Wed. 7.30-9 pm, Workshop. The Buddle, 258b Station Road, Wallsend. Contact: Simon 091 232f.l2.97

NORWICH Mon. 12-2pm, Wed. 7-lOpm, (term time) University of E."lSt Anglia Juggling Club, University house, Contact Ken Farquah, Tel: 0603 56161

NOTTINGHAM Weekends and evenings. Contact: Callum, Tel. 086f.l2.6, or Sue, 227901

OXFORD Sun. 5-7 pm. East Oxford Community Centre, Cowley Road. Contact: Hugh, Tel. 250847

OXTON Tues. 7.30-10 pm. Contact: Small Top Circus, Tel: 051 6533619

ROCHDALE Mon. and Tues. Contact: Jim or Noreen, Tel. 0706 77393

SHETIAND Thurs. 7-9 pm, lslesburgh Community Centre, Lerwick. Sat. 9-10.30 am, Sandwick Junior High School. Contact: Gary Worrall, Tel. 05905 501 (home), 0595 2114 (work).

STOCKPORT Wed. 1-4 pm at Pulse, Stockport Young People's Centre, Royal Oak Yard, Little Underbank, Contact: Clive, Tel. 0618815283

SWINDON Thurs 7.30-9.30 pm, Fumbles Juggling Club, Savernake Street Social Hall, Contact: Andy, Tel. 0793 491241

TAUNTON Wed. 7-lOpm Bishop Foxes School. Contact: Sally, Tel.0823 275459

TUNBRJDGE WELLS Contact: Kevin Fletcher, Tel. 0892 540169

WADHURST Contact: Nick, Tel: 0892 884450

YATTENDON Thurs. Yattendon Village Hall. £1 per session (50p concession). Contact: Barney, Tel. 0635 201546

ISRAEL

JERUSALEM Sat. 10 am - 2 pm at Sacher Park, Sederot yizhaq Ben Zevi. Contact: Fred Schlomka, Tel. 665-880, or David Perkins, Tel. 233-171 ext. 6 (answering service) 6 Ben Yehuda

ITALY

MILA'! Mon.-Fri ., 5-8 pm spring and summer, Parco Sempione-Fontana di De Chirico. Cont.c1ct: K.inesis Piccolo Circo, Tel. 02 4690971 (Claudio)

NETHERLANDS

AMSTERDAM Contact: Vera Dalm, Tel: 020 164105

DELFT Cont.c1ct: Karin, Tel 015 141857

MAASTRICHT Cont.c1ct: Wassilie Jansen, Tel: 624794

ROTTERDAM Contact: Bouke van Tongeren, Tel: 010 4667805

UTRECHT Cont.c1ct: Jopie Leenhouts, Tel: 030 340810

ZWOLLE Mon. 8-10 pm (sept.-june), Hedon Rembrandtlaan 4. Kont.c1kt: Marinus Prins, Tel: 038-541308 or Carel de Goey, tel: 038 653845

PORTUGAL

LISBON Cont.c1ct: Cest.c1 D'Artes, Rua Alvestorgo 3 1', 1100 Lisboa

SPAIN

MADRID Wed. from 4-6.30 pm at the Madrid Youth Hostel, "AJbergue Richard Schirrmann" en la Casa de Campo. Metro: Lago. Cont.c1ct: Javier Jimenez, Tel. 4617500

SWEDEN

STALLARHOLMEN Sundays. Contact: Birgit Philipson, Tel. 0152 43020

JONGLIERBEDARF * rersteilmg

ARTISTIK versam

• THEATER kata1og

•

Meetings

SWITZERLAND

AARAU lst and 3rd Mon. of each month, Jugendhaus Aarau (youth centre), Flosserplatz, Contact: Urs, Tel. 064 222227 or Brigitte, 064 8124 23

ARBON Tues. 7-9 pm, at the Seeparksaal by the lake (weather permitting) or in the Rondelle Youth Centre. Cont.c1ct: Res Ryser, Tel. 071 467763

BARETSWIL Fri. 6.30-S pm, Fabrikgebaude Sporri, Bettswilerstr. 2, Cont.c1ct: Sonja Kunz, Tel. 9391021.

BERN Thurs. 7 pm, sports hall at the Ka-We-De ice rink and swimming baths in the zoo (next to the U.S. embassy!!). Cont.c1ct: Gerda Saxer, Tel. 031 400392

BIEL-BIENNE Wed. 5-7 pm, Seevorst.c1dt 61, Contact: Dami Moser, Tel. 032 421087

DIETLIKON/ZH Wed. 6.30-8.30 pm, Dorf sports hal l, Dietlikon. Cont.c1ct: Bea und Pie~ Tel. 018332344

GENEVA Tues. a. Thurs. 6-8 pm at the Ecole d'lngenieurs de Geneve, 4 Rue de la Prairie. Cont.c1ct: Cesar Salvadori, Tel. f.l2.2 429471 or Bernard Gisin, Tel. 022 4%856

MEHR

dreikonigstr. 25 * 6900 heidelberg * tel. 06221-12199 * fax 06221-13656

21/Kaskade 37

Editorial

New! 4 Kaskades for the price of 3

If you have the kind of friends who always grab the new Kaskade before you've had a chance to read it, you can now tell them it won't ruin their bank balance to order their own subscription. Kaskade now appears 4 times a year (March, June, September, December), but the subscription price is still the same as it used to be for 3 issues, £6 (DM 4). The new reduced price takes effect as of this issue, N°.21, so if you renewed your subs after the last issue, you'll now get 4 copies for your money.

Unfortunately, for subscribers outside Europe we've had to add the price of the fourth issue to the old subscription rate, as airmail postage costs almost as much again as the magazine itself. The new rate is US$20/year.

We also have a new account number. It is a post office giro account, which means that subscribers outside Germany will have no problem transferring money direct. Please use this account, and DO NOT send us postal orders! You can, of course, always send us cash (D-Marks, or US dollars outside Europe). As far as we can tell, all cash reached us savely so far.

Your support is always welcome

Kaskade has been going now for 7 years, and throughout that time we've received a wealth of articles, photos and information from our readers. If it weren't for this support there would be no Kaskade, so many thanks to you all. New readers may think we have a big editorial staff, with roving reporters travelling the world to catch the latest news. Unfortunately (or perhaps it's just as well!), this is not the case. We just edit what comes in from you out there. So go ahead, we look forward to hearing from you.

In one of the next issues we intend to run a special feature on juggling with children: Community Circuses, juggling in schools, circus schools, etc. For the European Convention in Verona we would like to report on the Italian scene: juggling, street performing, circus, variety, etc. Please send us your ideas, articles, contact addresses and photos.

Incidentally, Kaskade would also be grateful for tips and assistance in the field of tax returns, management consultancy, advertising, mailing, and all subjects which are involved in producing a magazine.

Copy Deadline for No.22: 15 May 1991 Copy Deadline for No.22: 15May1991

Subscription

Advertising Rates are available from the

editors on request.

Small Ads Commercial small ads up

to l 0 lines cost DM 25. Each additional line costs

DM 2.50

Subscribe! UK subscribers: please send us a cheque for £6.00.

Non-European subscribers : please send us US$20 (cash if possible!) to cover the cost of AIR MAIL delivery.

All other subscribers: please transfer DM 20 to our account, or send a cheque if payable to a German bank, or a eurocheque with the card number on the back. Please do not send postal orders or stamps.

38 Kaskade/21

D

I would like to order the next 4 issues of

KASKADE (published quarterly)

starting from the most recent issue, No.21

0 starting from the next issue, No.22

Price: DM 20 (incl. postage)

I'm paying in cash

by cheque

by direct transfer an: Gobi & Paul Keast Annastr. 7 W-6200 Wiesbaden Germany

D D D

Postgiro Frankfurt Bank Code: 500 l 00 60 Account Number: 5541 45-609

NAME: -~~~~~~~~~

ADDRESS: ______ _

I would like the magazine in

English 0 German D

DATE: ______ _

SIGNED: ________ _

(

. ..;\, .... ::

hatte bei seinen Vorfuhrungen nur original Jonglierrequisiten aus dem bedeutendsten Fachgeschaft tor Jongleure benutzt.

D-1000 Berlin 61 Hasenheide 54 Tel: 030 6918769 Fax 030 6916352 Prospekt anfordern! Handleranfragen willkommen!

dub8