50 Years of juggling

A Retrospective

Creating Visual Magic

Composition & Musicality

3 Round Objects

3 ROUND OBJECTS ~ From back in the day…. this is the routine that made me the talk of the town amongst jugglers worldwide. First performed at the IJA Convention in Baltimore in 1989. Before there was YouTube, there was VHS. To the amazing ragtime fingers of Billy Joel off the album Streetlife Serenade. This performance took place in Maine in 1982 with New England New Vaudeville Revue.

The Dance of Time

THE DANCE OF TIME ~ Inspired by the track “Pieces of Eight” by Neil Peart. I first performed this piece in 1990 at the Philadelphia Jugglers Convention. Two years later I took it to Barcelona for the Summer Olympic Games as part of the International Arts Festival there in a show with many great juggling acts including legends Natalie and Francis Brunn!

Juggling to Jean Luc

JUGGLING TO JEAN LUC ~ Over an astonishing 8 minutes of ball tricks without drops. I didn’t have much of a social life. This was a performance of a dance-juggling piece I did in 1990 at a creative three ball demonstration in Los Angeles at the International Jugglers’ Association Convention. It is performed to a track by jazz-violinist Jean Lucy Ponty.

Articulation & Storytelling

Spirit of the Toy

SPIRIT OF THE TOY ~ A lyrical play with a diabolo to Aquamarine by Santana. The climbing string effect at the end was inspired by the Japanese top spinner, Kamazuru. I engineered the effect using two rat traps that triggered confetti. Staged and recorded in 2011 at Bristol Community College in Fall River, Massachusetts.

Arc Flow

ARC FLOW ~ A properly documented studio recording of my signature ring spinning routine shot and edited in 2016 in my Eureka Arts Studio. I invented many of these finger spinning moves with Dubé juggling rings. The music is Down Hill Racer by Patrick O’Hearn.

Elliptics & Mirrors

ELLIPTICS & MIRRORS ~ Unconventional juggling experiments inspired by play with cameras, lighting and reflective surfaces. Elliptics featured a parabolic mirror and was inspired by my memories of a large attic in my childhood home in New Jersey that we called “The Spooky Closet.”

Character & Spectacle

Gravity Screen on CCTV

CCTV ~ A performance I did in Beijing, China which aired to over 200 million people there. The government produces three hour long variety shows and at that time they only had two or three channels to watch.

Gravity Screen on BRAVO

The Solstrom Series ~ Performing my “Illusions” act for Cirque du Soleil in Montreal in 2003. Most of the variety acts had their material cut way down in the editing suite but they actually included the whole bit!

Mirrors

MIRRORS from 2012 at the International Varieté Festival in Schweinfurt, Germany produced by Dirk Denzer Performing Arts.

Flexibility & Eccentricity

Aeromexico Commercial

Are You Ready For A Ten Hour Flight? ~ This was my first gig coming back from a ruptured achilles. They flew me to Spain for the shoot. Felt great to finally be working again after five months in recover.

Spinal Clinic Commercial

Emery Spinal Clinic ~ This TV commercial was shot in New Orleans. After a lot of fanfare trying to device getting in and out of a small box, the ad company simply had me do a bit from my show. It was quite successful with several six month renewals and nice residuals.

The Man In a Canoe

New England New Vaudeville Revue ~ An excerpt from the ballyhoo section of a variety show in Maine produced by Benny and Denise Reehl. Eventually, I didn’t want to do these moves any more because of the pressure on my shoulders. I wanted to train my body for more upper body strength and it was either one or the other.

Culture, Cuisine & International Influences

Found Objects

Bermuda ~ During my worldwide travels I’d seek out unusual locations and objects and improvise ‘Eye of the Juggler’ moments. This one took place in an old shipyard in Bermuda on one of my cruise contracts. Circa 2015.

Worldly Impressions

The Italian ~ Inspired by my times spent in Sicily, Rome and Naples, this romantic character impressed the ladies with his graceful scarf juggling moves, charisma and charm. Circa 2018.

International Cuisines

Apple Juggling ~ I’m very passionate about food. Very big on street food and spicy exotic cuisines. While in China, I took to juggling Chinese apples one morning. This was on the upper deck of Holland America’s ms Volendam. Xingang, China in 2015.

Clowning, Comedy & Physical Theater

SNAFU! Goes to China

Bengbu, China ~ Ridiculous moments while on tour in China with performing partner Leland Faulkner as SNAFU! This tour was in 2015 at one of many International Clown & Comedy Festivals. From 2015 to 2022, SNAFU! Comedy made the rounds at festivals, theaters and other events.

Long Arms Goon Show

Fashion ~ Inspired by David Bowie’s Fashion, SNAFU!’s two man long arms duo dance goon squad made an overt statement about the dehumanizing effects of the fashion industry. Shot in Lewiston, Maine around 2019. The act made it all the way to Los Angeles for the Gong Show hosted by Mike Myers.

Toilet Plunger Madness

Take A Plunge ~ I’m very passionate about food. Very big on street food and spicy exotic cuisines. While in China, I took to juggling Chinese apples one morning. This was on the upper deck of Holland America’s ms Volendam. Xingang, China in 2015.