JugglingSubculture.com

We’ve noticed an interesting phenomenon within the juggling subculture. We call it the Trained Monkey Effect (TME).

Here’s how it commonly occurs:

First, a non-juggler discovers that you know how to juggle and that you’re better than the average “I learned in my junior high gym class” juggler.

Second, they demand a demonstration, tossing you the three roundest objects in your nearest vicinity. You indulge them with a couple of different patterns, an around the back or under the leg, a 360 finish and they’re genuinely amazed. They might even clap a few times.

What begins after this incident is the essence of TME.

From this point forward, every time this person introduces you to someone new they say, “oh, and he (or she) can juggle!” and then throw you random objects to entertain your new acquaintance. Wallets, cell phones, rocks, water bottles–nothing is off limits.

TME is often initiated by bosses, older siblings, coaches, or anyone with a hint of authority, making it even harder for the juggler to do anything but acquiesce to the request for cheap entertainment. In addition to personal introductions, TME often occurs at parties, before business meetings, or to break the ice at other large gatherings.

While some jugglers enjoy this kind of “dance, monkey, dance!” attention, many feel trapped by TME. These jugglers would rather not be put on display like a circus animal but feel obligated to comply with the request and thus begrudgingly perform for the impromptu audience.

What you see below is a clear example of TME. You can tell by the look on this juggler’s face that his off-screen, over-served friends egged him on to perform when this party became too boring. So he does. But his lackluster performance is a clear indication the TME is occurring.

We always get excited about someone starting a juggling blog. The world just needs more!

This one is called The Jugglers’ Lounge.

Steve Langley, the creator of the blog, writes:

I used to love the column in Juggler’s World magazine where they listed where jugglers would be performing . I was able to catch a lot of great juggling acts because of that column. This is an attempt to re-create that online. I want this to be a place where you can come to see who is performing where.

Not only will this be an entertaining read, but also a great hub of information on where to see great jugglers do their thing.

Did you catch Anthony Gatto teaching a couple of ESPN anchors how to juggle last month?

In case you missed it, click here to watch the clip.

And something else you might have missed . . . here’s Anthony in his recent appearance on The Ellen Degeneres Show:

Anthony’s recent move to La Nouba has provided a lot of great opportunities to promote the show, and the world of juggling, on national TV. Where will he show up next?

When Wes Peden released the short juggling film Expectations, we were hoping it would be the first of many similar projects. It looks like our dreams have come true! Wes just released a new short film titled “Plaid.”

Here’s how he describes the film:

Plaid is a collection of juggling inventions and compositions made from the love of weird catches and style conscious throws. The film covers many controversial topics such as flipping, up catching, under the leg and backcross desegregation in relation to five club juggling, and what exactly the edition of purple handles has on modern 3 club juggling.

We are excited to see how Wes delivers his unique, art-infused juggling style in this new venture.

Take a look at the trailer for “Plaid”: