JTV link

Here it is, Folks!! The video we’ve all been waiting for! Proof that it happened!

MEGA thanks to Moon for putting this together, and MEGA thanks to all who star innit… Moon says, sorry about the wait, hope you like it!! I’d say definitely worth the relatively short wait. I can’t imagine it was easy to decide what footage to cut and what to keep…

As for the content… Do I really need to go into details?

Higher Resolution version
The 2008 Victoria Juggling Festival is fast approaching: March 14-16.
Here’s a taste of the upcoming awesomeness edited by the wonderful Dawn (and Ryan). Enjoy!

OCCJD Contact Juggler, Daydream Dawn is one of the organisers, she writes:

Ryans MC’ing the public show, all the wicked Canadian contact jugglers will gather - we are also trying to find all the fire community and spinners, to get the jugglers, manipulators, spinners and acrobats together in one convention.

Sounds like a recipe for a great event.

I guess a lot of people are wanting to know what happened, huh?

Well, My head is still reeling. The workshops were IMMENSE. Hmmm… Those capital letters aren’t big enough for that word…

Once again, the bar has been raised for Contact Juggling, Only this time, the ground is nowhere in sight. According to feedback given, the workshops were highly valuable and informative, with ALL skill levels involved, and everybody able to take away valuable knowledge and inspiration in order to keep busy for years to come. I have seen the future (of Contact Juggling) and it is good. I’m going to be keeping a close eye on several people… Close friendships were formed, and re-formed, with everybody leaving at the end of the 5days a little tired, loaded with information, and sore facial muscles from all the smiling.

Moon’s Multiball Teachings… well, he blew MY mind. And I thought I’d seen it all. Kelvin’s vast knowledge, experience, and amazing personality made his workshops extremely fun and valuable. Jeanine’s approach to bodyrolling, creating routines, and learning in general was greatly sought after and helped so many people get to grips with so much information. Colin’s dancing classes really helped students to think more about their body, and my isolation classes and small numbers multiball workshops helped students understand many fundamental ideas behind what we do, and then to take those ideas, and take them further, in any direction they chose. The only problem, was that there were too many activities to choose from each day!

As well as structured classes, there were more open, exploratory sessions for routine building, The use of the Katakomben for the duration, and far too much skill sharing and inspiring to shake several sticks, poi, balls, arms and indeed anything else we could get our hands on, at. ‘Extra Curricular Activities’ included trips to Berlin city centre, the Jewish Memorial, and various vietnamese and falafel restuarants, where civilians had no idea what to make of over 15 people walking along the streets, and travelling the trains with a ball sat on their heads… Some lovely filming was done by many people, with Moon making the official Ministry Berlin Video.

The katakomben were extremely pleased with how well their Largest and most popular workshop ever (!!!) panned out, that the management have already asked if we want to do another one…

In summary, We did good. Real good. Really, so much happened, that one post is not enough to do it justice. You’re gonna have to wait for the video. Meanwhile, I need more sleep in order for my blown mind to heal…

Innit.

Sat 19th Jan it’s Bristols Other Bristol Juggling convention.
I’m planning to drag myself away from my desk for long enough to teach a 1 ball contact/bodyrolling for beginners workshop in the afternoon.
Convention is cheap entry and workshops are free.
Wanna come?

YouTube - Road Trip to CJC ‘07 - Part One

Imperistan (contactjuggling.org) is setting out to create a 4 part series of videos detailing his trip to this years CJC in Saint Aubin du Cormier, France. Highlights of this first video, detailing his arrival, include:
- Yannick doing toss
- The multiballers (including Drew)
- Pich’s baton isolation

Ryan Mellors lead a Contact Juggling and Manipulation workshop in Vienna on May 16th, 2007.

Workshop Description:

What is manipulation? How can we tell if an object is isolated, and how do we correct our technique? How can we build more complicated illusions? And how can we use these techniques in our performances?

This one day intensive workshop is aimed at all levels of jugglers/circus performers interested in developing new material with a single prop. Through group work and individual skill-builing, Ryan Mellors (Canada / England) will lead exercises in movement and manipulation, assisting the students in developing new material and giving them a basic foundation in movement techniques such as mime, bodypopping, liquid and other illusional movement styles.

Contact Juggling techniques will be taught with 1 ball and this will serve as the basis for a lot of the exercises, but students will be encouraged to move beyond the ball and integrate their own props into much of the workshop. Jugglers of all skill levels and dancers are invited to attend, and they are encouraged to bring whatever props they wish to develop material with.

UPDATE:
Check THIS PAGE for an article detailing the workshop experience.
For more Info: contact David

I cut together this video for the gang at the Pacific Northwest Juggling Convention.
We shot the footage it on Sunday April 1st… during the big trick competition.

That little girl was amazing… sorry I couldnt get a good shot of any of her awesome tricks

The next contact juggling Convention will be held in Rennes, France this May. More details can be found here (pdf).

For a look back at the past conventions, check these video links:
CJC 2001 & 2002 (First ever CJC, held in the US)

CJC 2003 (Perth, Scotland) Video by Silver Paul. You must be a member at contactjuggling.org to download the video

CJC 2005 (at the Hangar, London. Featured on the In Isolation DVD)

and now CJC 2007 - France.

British Juggling Convention.
Got Ed, Got Jeanine, Get Colin Tomorrow.
Then it’s Roadtrip to BJC.
We;re doing a lot of workshops and Jeanine is doing the public show. woo woo.
Gotta pack
Smiles
Drew

I did some editing work this winter for the Vancouver Circus School, and wanted to share one of my videos here on the Blog. This Kay Meeks video was taken from a corporate show that the performance group did, and it showcases a lot of their talent, notably:
Chris Murdoch - Contact Juggling and Fire Staff
Jake West - Diablo and Drumming
Nigel Wakita - Yo-yo

I will be performing on the renegade stage at Oregon State University on Saturday March 31st. I will also be teaching an advanced contact juggling workshop (balls and other props) at the Pacific Northwest Juggling Convention.

A cartoon monster attacks a city.

More details soon… I hope to meet some of the American contact jugglers there!
Click here for convention details

The London workshop at the Hangar is no longer operating. Ryan has moved back to Vancouver, and The Hangar is being torn down to make way for the London 2012 Olympics.

Ryan writes:

I cut this video together out of footage from the last workshop. Its worth watching… the beginning of the video is about the Hangar and the aerial classes that they offer, and the main section of the video is a montage of moments from the evening of juggling and manipulation. The end of the video is when the real obsessive juggling kicks in.. and I head to bed at 2am.