LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, BOYS AND GIRLS... welcome to the big top blog of Douglas McPherson, author of CIRCUS MANIA, the book described by Gerry Cottle as "A passionate and up-to-date look at the circus and its people."

Wednesday 12 June 2013

15 JUGGLING FACTS for the World Circus Day, 16 April, 2022!

Saturday 16 April, 2022 is the 12th World Circus Day! To celebrate, here are 15 Juggling Facts!




1 - The earliest depiction of juggling is painted on an Egyptian tomb dating from almost 2000 years BC.



2 - Ancient Chinese warriors would show off to their enemies by juggling before battle.



3 - George Washington watched John Bill Ricketts juggle on horseback in America’s first circus.



4 - Bounce juggling became possible with the introduction of rubber balls in the late 19th century.



5 - Clubs are easier than balls to juggle on a unicycle because they require less accuracy to catch.



6- Charles Hoey was the first man to juggle with four clubs - but he couldn’t stop without dropping them, so the curtain had to come down while he was still juggling.



7 - Juggling burns 280 calories an hour.
The Melvilles show how to juggle with
the dinner plates in a great DVD called
Variety Turns of the Post War Years
Read my review here.



8 - Germans such as Salerno (Adolf Behrend) introduced the ‘gentleman juggler’ style that became popular in the late 19th and early 20th century, wearing formal evening clothes and juggling with dinner party items such as plates, bottles, loaves of bread, hats, canes and chairs.



9 - Enrico Rastelli (1896 - 1931) is considered greatest juggler of all time, being able to juggle ten balls at once.



10 - Antipodism is another name for foot-juggling in which the juggler lies on his or her back to spin and flip objects (or another person) with their feet.



Starr Juggler
One of the stars of
Circus Starr, the circus that
helps kids.
Click here to read the story.
11 - Foot-juggling with a person is known as a Risley act after the 19th century American pioneer of the style Richard Risley Carlisle.



12 - Britain’s first juggling superstar, Paul Cinquevalli made his debut at Covent Garden in 1859.



13 - Rings are the easiest prop to juggle in large numbers because they’re light and it’s easier to hold several.



14 - Scarves are the easiest item to begin juggling with.



15 - The International Juggling Association was formed in 1947.




2nd Edition out now!
For interviews with jugglers, clowns, tiger trainers and all things circus, click here to buy Circus Mania - The Ultimate Book For Anyone Who Dreamed of Running Away with the Circus - described by the Mail on Sunday as "A brilliant account of a vanishing art form."














1 comment:

  1. Nice information shared in the blog.
    Great juggling facts shared by you.
    Thanks to share the post.
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