Jugglingworld News No.7 -
How to be a Good Juggler
September 2007
Welcome to this newsletter. Apologies
that it has been 5 months since the last one was
sent out. I have had a very hectic summer season
of juggling which has only just calmed down this
week...
MAIN ARTICLE - How to be a Good Juggler
To become a good juggler, it is very
important to set yourself some long term and short
term goals, and in particular to decide on a standard
that you want to reach, and then aim towards it...
1) a particular skill such as juggling,
music or technical juggling
2) or particular discipline such as performing,
comedy or routine writing
Using myself as an example:
SHORT
TERM GOAL:
I
am currently developing the musical and comedy
side of my juggling performances
LONG TERM
GOAL:
I
am still working hard on my 5 ball and 6 ball
juggling!
STANDARD
TO REACH:
To
continue to expand my routines so that I can
better tailor my future shows to each individual
client.
Aim for a certain time each day to
practice, or a certain amount of time each week.
To make the most of your practice time, try splitting
it up into the following key areas:
Warm up and warm down
Jamming - mess around and just pick up anything
Practice individual tricks
Choreograph - try putting any new tricks you have
learned in with other tricks and see what you can
develop
Rehearsing - for any shows coming up
Have at least one or two difficult tricks that
you keep coming back to
Stand out from the Crowd
- You are unique as a person, but how can you stand
out from the crowd as a juggler? I spent part of
August at Edinburgh Fringe, and when I watched the
street acts, they always seemed to build up to the
same grand finale which was to juggle fire or knives
on a giraffe unicycle! Some of them even used the
same jokes as the previous acts. What can you do
to stand out from the others?
Pick some props to learn that
are not widely used by jugglers
Write some really good original
comedy material. See my 4th
Newsletter
for tips on using comedy in your juggling routines.
Picking songs for your act that
aren't used by every other juggler for their routines.
See my 3rd Newsletter
for an article on using music in your routines
Develop a unique character or
onstage presence.
If you do not already attend a juggling
club or conventions, then get in touch and I will
point you to your nearest locations. Anyone wishing
to improve their skills should attend these events.
There are over 125 juggling clubs in the UK!
I hope that this article will help
you to find a way of improving your juggling skills
and developing as a performer.
Jugglingworld Massive Sale Now On!
As of 21 September 2007, I have reduced
the prices of 95 products in the store. I aim to
phase out most of the novelty items side of the
business and concentrate more on the juggling side
of the store from now on. There are vast reductions
in particular to the Games
and Puzzles
section. Many items are below cost price, so grab
yourself a bargain before they run out! You can
view most of the reduced items on my Special
Offers page
If you have a certain budget for your
CHRISTmas shopping, then consider using my Price
Search pages, especially the Stocking
Fillers page to grab yourself some bargains.
50 new products added since April
2007. Plans for a fire juggling products page are
underway. I am just checking all the legal implications
of selling such equipment before I make the final
decisions.
Kid's Artwork Page Added
When I received a large parcel containing
lots of drawing and letters from the pupils
at a local Primary School, I decided to create
a kid's artwork
page on my site. If you have seen me perform
or want to send in a picture of yourself juggling
then get in touch and you can be added to
the page also.
Bar Flair - The New Craze!
There is a new Bar
Flair section on the site. If you are unsure
what this is, then visit my Bar Flair products page
and you can click on the video link to see the Britain's
Got Talent Bar Wizards duo performing their routine
which got them to the Grand Final of the Simon Cowell
Talent Show earlier this year.
There is also now a Bar
Flair tricks page and 4 DVD's available for
further learning.
More Online Games!
A balance game created by Alex
Heaton. Very annoying/addictive!
This summer, I have been all over Scotland,
including a memorable trip to perform at Isle
of Lewis Highland Games during the Summer.
I had 10 gigs teaching Italian and Spanish
students to Juggle as part of their weeks
intensive English Language study courses in
Edinburgh and Glasgow. Thankfully I wasn’t
expected to speak any of their language, and
it is great how juggling can be taught using
body movement and actions rather than just
words!
Lastly, I tried my hand at being a Motivational
Speaker for the Chartered Institute of Personnel
Development. Afterwards I was approached by
the participants and offered lots more work,
so maybe this is a new sideline for me?!
My next newsletter will be out before CHRISTmas,
so I will be in touch soon!
God bless
Steve Thomson
Professional Juggler and Retailer
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