Dawn and I spent some time this summer busking at the lovely Vancouver Chinatown Night Market. Good people, good food and good contact juggling.

I (Ryan Mellors) edited most of this series in the passenger seat while Dawn drove the car; admiring the scenery in between stops at Tim Hortons (where we would recharge on caffeine and latop power) and late-night diners. We drove 2000 miles through a slowly changing landscape, our car loaded with balls of all sizes, hoops, tetrahedrons, bendy sticks, half-spheres, blocks and a video camera. Our objective: build the community, find others like us and explore what this ‘contact juggling’ thing is all about. Shoot lots of video and get to Montreal without running out of money.

Thanks to all who came to the workshops and to all the supportive musicians who offered music for the project. Today marks the official release of the series; 9 short videos documenting the journey. Click below for the videos (RT: 38min,) descriptions and prop contents, as well as a download link in 720×480 .wmv.

(more…)

(Ed kindly writes)

It seems that whilst Ryan Mellors was going across Canada to teach he spent a lot of time playing, too…

Such well thought out and super tight manipulations from our Core Canadian. combined with tight body isolations, Ryan gives us a look at the steps following his earlier practise vids, and where they’ve taken him.

Check the seamless transitions. Sickness.

Neat little improvisation with 2 balls from Ryan Mellors. Footage taken from the Contact Juggling in Canada project (which we will be blogging about sometime soon)

Here ya go, interwebbers. I (Ryan Mellors) directed a show for Inner Ring in Vancouver and couldn’t resist putting in a classic video game reference.

(more…)

4th in the series. Dawn and I stopped for a day in Nelson, BC and shot footage of manipulation with balls, hoops and clubs.

First video in the new series; shot on Saltspring Island, British Columbia, Canada

Ryan and Daydream will be running a series of contact juggling workshops across Canada this summer. The aim of the workshop is to give students a foundation in contact juggling technique as well as introduce them to many of the concepts that form the basis of modern contact & manipulation. The unique workshop is divided into five parts, and will be structured as follows:
(more…)

Short clip of hoop isolations that Ryan Mellors performed with Anna Haraszti at the Sziget festival, Budapest 2006.

Perspex Cube
Acrylic Balls
Plastic & Aluminium hoops

Contact Juggling by Ryan Mellors.

The Hangar [WEBSITE LINK] is a circus studio in East London that the Ministry of Manipulation has called home for many years. Today, June 20th, the residents of the Hangar must leave the studio to make way for the 2012 Olympic developments.

Ryan Mellors lived and trained in the Hangar for 3 years. Drew was a regular visitor, and much of ”Multiball Contact” was drafted during his stay in the studio during the winter of 2005. Jeanine came to visit us during the summer, and Colin and Ed became regular guests in 2006.

The Hangar is documented in the following videos.
Hangar Workshop
Hangar Workshop (promo)
Contact at the Hangar (Available via In Isolation DVD)
Ryan Practice

And of course, most famously, Hangar Fun.

Enjoy.

From all of us at the Ministry, we bid a fond farewell to this magical studio.

Ryan Mellors lead an official 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: Video is done!
Check THIS PAGE for an article detailing the workshop experience.
For more Info: contact David

I know, I know.. I’m a juggler and not a beatboxer. But this turned out kinda nice…

Ok… 2 things I (Ryan Mellors) need to say about this late night renegade show [Google Video Link] that Aaron Gregg and I hosted:

(1) This clip was taken from a 2 hour improvised show I hosted with Aaron Gregg. It was approaching midnight, and an audience member dared me to beatbox. I had been practicing Kenny Muhammad’s Drum n’ Bass track for a couple weeks and thought ‘why not?…’

(2) I think its a shame that the whole act isn’t online, because at the end Aaron Gregg and Matt Hall battled it out and it was actually pretty wicked.