3 ms·

As a fellow juggler (well, former, I don't really juggle much these days) I agree. I find Gatto amazing in the same way other world record breakers are amazing

As a fellow juggler (well, former, I don't really juggle much these days) I agree. I find Gatto amazing in the same way other world record breakers are amazing, but apart from going "wow" it didn't feel inspiring to me as a juggler. OTOH, there are world-class jugglers who go in different directions and do feel inspiring. I remember when I was starting out, this group with Jay Gilligan, Ville Walo and some other Finnish guy I forgot the name of had a VHS you could order over the 'net which was just unlike anything we'd seen. They were good technically, e.g. no problem with 5 clubs, but they also kept inventing new tricks and new ways of using objects instead of just going for more objects. I can't find any clips from that video[1], but there's some newer stuff from Jay and Ville on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8w-WsyPeLEg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8w-WsyPeLEg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQJ4Q0SdJDo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQJ4Q0SdJDo [1] which started out with them pouring a bunch of meat and such into a jar and slurping it down, probably a joke at the large percentage of vegetarians at juggling conventions

unhammer 13y ago
Apropos, from the Vova article: "These kids are changing the face of juggling, evolving a culture whose values — speed, numbers, athleticism, technique — are distinct from the traditional juggling values of balance, expression and showmanship." I would say the Walo/Gilligan stuff is a third kind, where creativity the main value.
withme 13y ago
Also a fellow juggler, but I have always felt the opposite, actually. (And have frequently felt like I'm in a minority.) I could watch technicians practicing 8 balls, 10 rings, crazy site swaps, endless 5 club back crosses, etc. in a gym for hours. I have certainly enjoyed and appreciated the Jay Gilligan and Michael Moschen's of the world, but the overwhelming majority of "artsy" juggling just doesn't work, at least for me. For every Gilligan/Moschen/etc routine that I've seen that I've thought was well done, I feel like I've seen 4-5 that just fall totally flat for me. At the other end of the spectrum, the "entertainer" jugglers that are aiming for a non-juggling audience I find almost impossible to watch. They are technically uninteresting, and I just can't get into the endless stream of lame jokes and winking at the crowd. Just awful. I would actually much prefer to watch Gatto practice than do one of his Vegas performances. The performances are impressive technically, but I find absolutely nothing about the presentation entertaining. I think the reason that I feel this way is that I've always enjoyed the process of juggling (figuring how to do something, figuring out techniques for how to break down a trick into pieces, mastering each piece, etc) more than the end result (a polished, performable trick). Back when I was juggling a lot, once I felt like I mastered a trick, it didn't really hold much interest for me anymore. When actually juggling, I would much rather spend my time trying to eke out a few more catches of 7 than toss 5 around more or less indefinitely. But like I said, I've often felt like my preferences here are not all that common.

unhammer 13y ago

Apropos, from the Vova article: "These kids are changing the face of juggling, evolving a culture whose values — speed, numbers, athleticism, technique — are distinct from the traditional juggling values of balance, expression and showmanship." I would say the Walo/Gilligan stuff is a third kind, where creativity the main value.

withme 13y ago

Also a fellow juggler, but I have always felt the opposite, actually. (And have frequently felt like I'm in a minority.) I could watch technicians practicing 8 balls, 10 rings, crazy site swaps, endless 5 club back crosses, etc. in a gym for hours. I have certainly enjoyed and appreciated the Jay Gilligan and Michael Moschen's of the world, but the overwhelming majority of "artsy" juggling just doesn't work, at least for me. For every Gilligan/Moschen/etc routine that I've seen that I've thought was well done, I feel like I've seen 4-5 that just fall totally flat for me. At the other end of the spectrum, the "entertainer" jugglers that are aiming for a non-juggling audience I find almost impossible to watch. They are technically uninteresting, and I just can't get into the endless stream of lame jokes and winking at the crowd. Just awful. I would actually much prefer to watch Gatto practice than do one of his Vegas performances. The performances are impressive technically, but I find absolutely nothing about the presentation entertaining. I think the reason that I feel this way is that I've always enjoyed the process of juggling (figuring how to do something, figuring out techniques for how to break down a trick into pieces, mastering each piece, etc) more than the end result (a polished, performable trick). Back when I was juggling a lot, once I felt like I mastered a trick, it didn't really hold much interest for me anymore. When actually juggling, I would much rather spend my time trying to eke out a few more catches of 7 than toss 5 around more or less indefinitely. But like I said, I've often felt like my preferences here are not all that common.