Why I don't juggle around breakable objects.

[Seamus]

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/stories/quickhits270104

Violin smashed by flying Karamazov pin

EDMONTON - The Flying Karamazov Brothers are "devastated" over a musical accident last weekend that left the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra's principle violinist without his instrument.

The famed juggling troupe was performing alongside the orchestra at Edmonton's Winspear Centre when one of the group's pins -- which resemble bowling pins -- got away from them.

"All of a sudden, one just flew out of the juggler's hand and landed on a violin just behind him," said Jerrold Eilander, the orchestra's publicist. "Some people were confused, some people didn't know what was going on -- I was not breathing -- so they just carried on the show and went on to the next thing."

"This juggler ... is just devastated because he knows how valuable these instruments are," added Eilander.

The instrument in question is a handcrafted Italian violin that is more than 270 years old. The violin's custom-made bridge snapped in half during the accident. Tom Johnson, the orchestra's principle violinist, was not injured.

The brothers, who have performed with dozens of North American orchestras over the past 30 years, including the Boston Pops, have apologized for the incident and are arranging repair efforts for the violin.

[pablo]

Ouch!

That's the last time I play my priceless Stradivarius anywhere near a juggler.

[Stretch]

Got to do my ribbon act last night. Black Tie fundraiser, the National Jewish Medical and Research Center's Beaux Arts Ball at the Denver Convention Center.

Circus theme. Denverite Paul Borrillo was the producer, he did a bang up job, very nice.

First an hour of Meet 'N Greet, in my long armed and masked Mardi Gras costume. I reminded everyone that we had "special permission to smile" that night, encouraged them to have a good time and thanked them for being there. Got a lot of grins! Posed for photos, warmed everyone up!

Then on to the ball room on my 30 inch stilts, with a 20 foot pole and 52 foot stroboscopic ribbon. CdS music, hundreds of guests standing and seated at fully decorated tables, wine glasses, centerpieces, a couple of trap acts, a juggling troupe, and dozens of decorations, lights and rigging hanging from the ceiling! For 45 minutes I performed in the midst of all that, never tipped a glass, or tangled the ribbon! And I knocked them dead!

Can't wait to see the video!

Walking tall and stretching imaginations!
Bill "Stretch" Coleman

http://www.stiltwalker.com/

http://www.stiltwalker.com/stiltfaq.htm#juggle

[le pire]

Wow Stretch, you sure are GREAT!!


Those bozo jugglers sure could take a lesson from someone as AMAZING as YOU!!!

[martin ewen]

Wow le pire you sure are SARCASTIC.

Stretch may go on a bit but he's never been anything other than wellmeaning.

You sure show those of us with nothing better to do how to embarrass ourselves with unentertaining PETULANT WHINING

[le pire]

Sarcastic?

NOoooooooo! NEVER!!!!!

What is this, solidarity amongst stiltwalkers!??!!?!

Whining? Uh, yeah sure Martin. That was whining. Right...

Actually, you're right, Stretch means well. But that doesn't make it any less annoying.


etienne

[Stretch]

Don't hold back, tell me what you really think!

[Evan Young]

Fight!

Let the war begin!
mimes clowns and stilt walkers on the left, jugglers on the right and magicians in the middle. Agents are taking bets in the corner with two to one odds on the jugglers.
Ready? begin!

[jester]

I'm a stiltwalker and a juggler

But I'm going to side with stiltwalkers on this one. Why?

Because the stiltwalkers have got Martin and the jugglers have got Evan. No offence Evan, but Martin is unbeatable at this sort of thing.

Ettiene. Your web site is slow, cheesy and says far more about your graphic designer than it does about you. If however I am wrong, and you are the person depicted in that website I can only say that you probably smell of Cif and disinfectant and you probably have a stylist for your pubic hair.

You are so fucking talented yet you're quotes are so bland. Your act may not stink of cheese but your website does. But not real cheese but that plastic rubbery stuff that comes in triangles after it has been mixed with monosodium glutamates and had all of it's nutrients sucked out of it.

How somebody so slick could make juggling seem so boring. If ever a circus was ever born in Denton (Rocky Horror Show and Shock Treatment) it was you and your orange trousers. The only slightly interesting thing in those pictures was the tuba.

Can you actually speak so many languages or did you just learn to do your act in them.

you are so bloody good looking, smooth and clean and sterile and I sincerely hope my children grow up to be more like Martin than you.

You are the juggling worlds answer to soft pornography, you know the sort which knows nothing of the psychology of sex, lighting, drama, acting, but has tits that are filled with the same stuff that comes in those cheese triangles I was talking about.

Stretches web site is detailed, deeper and far more rewarding for those of us with a brain.

Of fuck. I'm gonna be unpopular again.

[Dan The One Man Band]

Speaking of websites Jester, your's hasn't been updated in nearly four years.
I think you should spend less time jesting on p.net and more time getting your promo updated. (or at least take that information off your front page).

But I know how you love it here.

A New Man

[Steven Ragatz]

Why I don't juggle around breakable objects.

So, do you guys really get some satisfaction by randomly belittling each other in a public pissing match? Is this sort of "discussion" really necessary? (A rhetorical question in no need of an answer.) At the very least, it spins the thread off topic, and at the most it makes everyone look decidedly immature.

One of the circus groups that I've done shows with did an opera once where the hula-hoop act lost a hoop into the orchestra pit during a performance, damaging one of the cellist's bows to the tune of $10,000(US). Ouch. The performer didn't offer to help pay as the KB article suggests, but I am sure that insurance covered the accident. Surpisingly enough, the circus group got asked back to perform the same opera, with the same group several years later...

Steven Ragatz

[le pire]

calm down Evan...

Wow, I was just about to write this:

"Sorry to disappoint you Evan, but I don't think there's going to any flame war here...

I met Stretch a couple of years ago at Motionfest and I really like him. I was just being sarcastic as Martin pointed out."

Then along comes Jonathan the Jester-- what a fun guy.

Yes I do speak that many languages, and I was speaking them before I was performing them.

To be honest my Italian is not what it used to be. I haven't been back there in four years and I could really use some re-immersion. My French is impeccable-- I was just in Quebec last week.


Thanks for the input about my website.

Slowness is probably your end's fault, but I am looking to fix this. There is a lot of junk in the programming and I think some of the flash is really superfluous. I agree that I really went overboard on "style," but that is exactly what I set out to do.

If you can't tell, I really wanted a totally different asthetic to my act. I was really sick of seeing jugglers in bowler hats & bow ties, or (even worse) jester costumes. I am well aware that my look won't appeal to everyone, because there are those "traditionalists" out there who think that a juggler should wear point hats and bright colors and bells, just as they have since 1535!

The people who hire me like my style, the people who see my show like my style. I like my style. That's what counts to me.

I can't please everyone all the time, so if that means some guy who wears a pointy hat with a magic wand up his nose in Salisbury thinks I'm cheesy... well boo hoo hoo.

As far as "saying more about the graphic designer"-- That would be me. I designed everything on there, although I had a programmer do some work on the photos (he's better at photoshop than me) and I also worked with a different programmer to do the flash (I'm lousy at programming flash).


"you are so bloody good looking, smooth and clean and sterile and I sincerely hope my children grow up to be more like Martin than you."

Haha haha ha!!! oh my god, you really don't know me at all. That is REALLY funny!

I agree. I hope your children grow up like Martin, too.


"You are the juggling worlds answer to soft pornography, you know the sort which knows nothing of the psychology of sex, lighting, drama, acting...

That is even funnier!!! Your right Jonathan, I know nothing about acting. My Associates Degree from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC is honorary. Ringling Clown College in '96 gave me a diploma because my daddy paid them $1,000,000. And that two years of Masters training with Jacques Lecoq in Paris? Well that was in France so it doesn't count. You've got me pegged Jonathan.

The "psychology of sex??!!?" ummmm. ok. If it is a bad thing that I don't have "the psychology of sex" in my act than I am a very very very bad person.

etienne

[Jim]

What's a moderator to do???

Jester, Etienne... let go of the anger. How could a thread about a broken violin and FKB bring out such vitriol? You guys need to loosen your sphinchters.

Now could we please get back on topic and discuss other expensive juggling mishaps?

Thanks,
Jim

P.S. Etienne, your web site crashes my browser every time I try to view it.

[martin ewen]

Um... could people please not include my name and the word 'children' in the same sentence, thank you.

[le pire]

Sorry Jim! No anger here... maybe just a little too heavy on the sarcasm, though.


etienne