A Short Juggling History, by Nicole Marino
Juggling has had a long and interesting history. It dates back
to ancient Chinese, Japanese, Iranian and Tibetan cultures, in which juggling
was prominent in religious and mythological rituals. The earliest pictoral
depiction of juggling was actually discovered in a fifteenth century Beni Hassan
tomb of an unknown prince in Egypt, dating back to sometime between 1994-1781
B.C. Charmanes and priests apparently used juggling in these cultures to predict
the future and draw aside danger. Later on, juggling became wildly popular with
the Greeks, then the Romans. However, the jugglers were called ventilatores
(knife throwers) or pilari (ball players). juggling was also combined with
sleight-of-hand, in which the performer does not openly exhibit his skill,
leaving one in the dark as to how these feats of dexterity are performed, and
pantomimes. An intersting fact is that, contrary to popular belief, women were
the first to be described as jugglers in the Greek and Pacific Islands and in
Egypt. It was not until later on, with the appearance of European jesters and
vaudeville jugglers, that the performers were predominantly male.
The history of these early performers is rather spotty, due to
the fact that many of them roamed the countryside in a gypsy-like fashion. There
are no accounts of any individual perfomers from the Middle Ages. It was around
the Middle Ages that juggling began to separate itsself from sleight-of-hand and
began to be called legerdemain, meaning the juggler openly exhibits the way his
tricks are performed instead of trying to hide them. These vagabond performers
began to populate legends and stories, the most famous of which is "Le Jongleur
de Notre Dame' or 'The Juggler of our Lady'. In this tale, a juggler stops
inside the Cathedral of Notre Dame and sees a beautiful statue of the Virgin
Mary. He decides that, although he does not have much to offer her, he will
perform for her (more likely is the possibility that he saw the potential of the
high celings). As he is juggling, a priest emerges from the back of the church
and is outraged at the audacity of our club-tossing friend. He begins to order
the performer out of the cathedral when he notices that the statue of the Virgin
is (yes, you got it) smiling. I guess you can say that juggling is a thrill for
all audiences! Interestingly, this story was later turned into an opera that is
still performed today.
Judging from pictures and other depictions, we know that the
most common props used for juggling were balls, knives, and torches, though the
emperor of Hudustan described jugglers using woooden rings to perform in 1528.
If you lived on the island of Tonga in the 1800s or 1900s, you would probably
would have preferred the use of limes, gourds, or tui tui nuts to practice the
craft.
Juggling remained a popular tool for entertainment in Royal
Courts, circuses, and street perfomances throughout the world for many
centuries. In the 1970s, a juggling craze swept across Europe, inspiring many to
learn the art. By the mid 80's, however, the juggling wave in the United States
surpassed the one in Europe and is still rolling strong today, as our club at
UGA attests.
Below is a listing of places we have been spotted, or will be spotted
in the near future. Look for us, we hope to see you!!
1997 Apr. 11-13 : Triangle Juggling Festival, University of North Carolina.
1997 Apr. 26 : An outdoor jazz concert event, East Athens Community Center;
Athens, Georgia. Times : 2:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Look for
us in the crowds
"roving" around. We'll be the one's throwing things up... For more information
about this event, contact The
Leisure Service Recreation and Parks Division
at (706) 613-3620 The Arts Division. See you there! (UNFORTUNATLY THIS
EVENT
WAS CANCELLED DUE TO MOTHER NATURE)
1997 June 3: The O-House circus theme night. Ogelthorpe house dining hall,
University of Georgia.
1997 June 25, July 18: Sandy Creek Park; Summer Camp matinee shows.
1997 August 12: Princton United Methodist Church lunchtime matinee show.
1997 September: North East Georgia Folk Festival, because of rain, we will be
at the Morton Theater in downtown Athens.
1998 January 30 - February 1: 20th annual Ground Hog Day juggling festival,
in Atlanta, GA.
1998 February 6-7: GA. Thespian Conference Mt. Zion High School.
1998 June 23, July 14: Sandy Creek Park Day camp Matinee Show. Athens GA.
1998 July 14: Faculty Development Institute at Flinchem's Pheonix. After
dinner show. Athens, GA.
1998 September 26: The North Georgia Folk Festival. Sandy Creek Park, Athens,
GA. All day event.
1998 October 2: Friar's dinner at UGA Catholic Center. Stage show around 8
PM.
1998 November 2: Fall Festival Show at Young Harris Methodist Church on
Prince Ave., in Athens GA. Juggling and fire
manipulation.
1999 February 5: 21st Annual Ground Hogs Day Juggling Festival. Grady
High School Gymnasium. Atlanta, GA.
1999 March 17: Juggling demonstration and performance at Habersham
Middle School.
1999 April: Performance at Catholic Church in Stone Mountain GA.
1999 May : Lunchtime performance at Washington Wilkes Comprehensive High
School.
1999 June 12-13: Manning the "Ye Olde Juggling Academy" at The Alabama
Shakespeare Festival.
1999 June 29: Juggling the 3rd annual AthFest Music and Arts Festival.
1999 July 1: Matinee show at Sandy Creek Day camp.
1999 July 4: Performance at Oyster family reunion, Chester West VA.
1999 July 15: Circus Arts after book signing at Hill Street books in Athens.
1999 July 17: Juggling performance for girls scout troop in Athens.
1999 July 22: Matinee show at Sandy Creek Day Camp.
1999 July 30: Performance at Bishop Park Day Camp in Athens .
1999 August 29: Sandy Creek Park fundraiser for the Volunteer Action
Committee.
More to Come...