Advanced staff juggling ... let´s go mad !!

Hey wwffj, I think you've got a lot of these ideas nice and straight in your head.

I'm glad that you're not underestimating what can be done with the staffs in the air especially when you consider Tim's aesthetics and how he shows them (just a few keystrokes off assthetics with that typo Tim - something that'd be interesting to explore ). i.e. the patterns we see in our mind can often only be shown to an audience by letting it linger for longer and join up as it does with fire and glow. I think you kinda said it in your last post, but it bears clarifying that staffs are also capable of movement that's impossible for a club in the air !, they just move so differently and - of course - can be illuminated at both ends, instantly doubling the complexity of their traces (it'd be good if someone could dig out a picture of Seb and Josh passing with fire at Uberparis as this is the image that sticks in my head when I think of this point).

Tim, I'd be interested in a clarification of what you mean by integrity in this context. Though I agree that "we should bring out the best in our chosen prop," I'd say that "just attempting club patterns" has 'integrity' if you've chosen a club pattern that you think will bring out the best in our prop (I realise that your use of the word 'just' in the quote probably refers to poorly-thought-out trick choice). I think Bastl has done this very well as, unless I'm mistaken, he chose which club tricks to translate based on how well they'd suit staff and, often, what he thought they'd look like with fire (less so these days with the fire as he's exploring other avenues).

Btw, though I agree that tricks that involve stopping the staff between each throw aren't aesthetically pleasing (at least to me) with staffs, let's not forget that a lot of the coolest tricks that Seb has translated (mills', mike's etc.) already involve occasional stops. So let's not be afraid of well placed stops! (aah the sound of the fire when you stop and start again )

Coming back to staffs in wheel plane, I can't wait to see what you come up with. I'd like to see that behind the head forward wheel plane throw work without shoulder dislocation though as I can't imagine it being possible any other way :P Also, I may have posted it here already, but the reverse flower thing you proposed would also be very nice as a reverse antispin flower (with the other hand doing the bottom half). Definately possible as I do it in the wall plane from an antti (swingy) cascade.

In summary to a very long post (I'm avoiding work OK ), if we all remember what we're juggling and don't lose sight of what our props look like (unless we want too), I'm sure our little community won't become a poor parody of club juggling.

Miss you all guys, I hope the EJCers amongst us are having a great time.

Whoops, forgot to say watch out! Mind your wrists throwing staffs in wheel plane as, depending on your staffs and where you're holding, they may need a lot more help to get rotating. Make sure you're not adding the extra rotation from the wrist (I know this might be obvious, but I'd rather be a little patronising than hear of someone getting hurt)

although i love posting on here i find it frustraing becasue i struggle to express myself clearly and even when i check a thread again and again,i never seem to get my point across like i want to!
for me, my priority is firestaff juggling not staff juggling,by integrity i mean i want to perform tricks not just because they exsist but because they make my flaming staffs look good,(the focus being on the ends of the staff)as well as making me look good
the little work i have done with glow staffs i have tried to use tricks which show off the staffs to their best(the focus being on the full length of the staff depending on the type)
i agree bastl and others have converted club patterns to clubs very well,my favourite fire staff pattern so far is the RHD pattern because it looks so good with fire.
when thinknig about all of this i am torn between my love of juggling and my love of perfoming,perfoming nearly always wins as my dream is make a living from my staffs but there will always be a conflict within me as to where i should spend my practise time.

i also agree with the point that stops and direction changes arent always bad.

seb regarding telling a story i dont agree that it is the best way to entertain,i agree that it is one way to entertain and can be very entertaining but i have never told a story with my staffs i know i can rock a "normal" crowd as well as anyone.people have often encouraged me to take on a character when performing but i dont feel the need(verging on going off thread?)
i also know of many jugglers both modern and in history who have entertained perfectly without any story telling,(mr gandini to use your example)
so while i agree that story telling is great,i dont agree that it is best,i do however really respect your passion and the direction it is taking you

wwffj as for drawing circles i think its a great way to be inspired and creative and someting i have attempted in my own practise.the effect similar to a kid with a sparkler is alway a big inspiration for me.

i hope the above makes some sense cos im to tired to rewrite it!

im finiding this thread very interesting and also chalenging my own thoughts and opinions which has got to be good,
nice work peeps

finaly i agree whatever we do we should do it as clean as we can and with enjoyment

hey guys you wanna make the soy thing happen?
I´ve got a great intro (or atleast thats what I think)...
You know the bathroom scene from "the shining"? Where Jack beats in the door with an axe? Wouldn´t it be great to use that as the intro but instead of the axe there would be a firestaff!

As for concept goes, how about making Soy no.3 the last and biggest homage to RHD and the origins of staff juggling?

Including new tricks/moves of your own...

Tim. There's a number of stories or charcters that can be presented with just a small addition to your outfit and a set routine.

Simply choose three moods (eg anger, heartbreak and happiness) and split that mood into three seperate music tracks and style of performance.

anger could be lots of speed, sharp hard movements and the angry face

Heartbreak can be lots of slow contact, hands turned to the sky, lots of ground work and lying on the stage, almost lethargic.

Happiness can be bouncing or jumping , lots of high throws, pirouettes and twirly fancy nothingness at the end of your arms...

If you can have three emotions played across a performance, even without a story, it can have a real impact on both your audience, and you, and it's not that hard, especially when setting it to three type of music.

Hi Tim,

Your last post made perfect sense, crystal clear in fact. I think the length of the posts in the thread reflect the thought that people are putting into staff juggling - it's good to see

In my opinion, you're doing the right thing by following the performance path that feels right for you and, I also think that your style seems appropriate for the kind of gigs you do. I'd say the same for Bastl (though there is, of course, an overlap).

I guess that I'm in the camp that thinks it's important to 'be yourself' in your performance, whether that's by performing as yourself or choosing a character that matches your personality / story and I think that 'performance Tim' matches real Tim very well.



@Johnny: Soy3 response seems lukewarm, maybe time for a new concept? Or maybe we're all just lazy gits! either way, I look forward to any fresh ideas you come up with and I agree that the timing is right for a new video (but I always say that)

godam
i wrote a long and thoughful reply,
i submitted it and after agesw i lost it
i dont like this new layout!

hi charles,
i understand that it is possible to portray a particular story or emmotion through performance i just dont have any desire to do so.i am very happy to put lots of emmotion into my performance and hope that my audience appreciates that but i have no desire to tell a fictional story or express an emotion that i am not feeling.
the only story i wish to tell is that of a man called tim who likes juggling and spininig with fire staffs.
i have been encouraged in the past to take on a fictional character, but my reply is that i AM a character and if my own character isnt enought then there is nothing more i can do!
i do appreciate however that other people choose to tell stories through their performace and when it is done well it can be very entertaining.

back on thred again are any staff jugglers going to bristol convention?

I wanted to go but couldn't get time off work.

6 staff passing rocks
nice mixture of speed, tension, fear and relaxness in the rhythm.

my mom rocks
nice mixture of mother and mom

Haha! Performed a 3 staff shower, on fire, for 4,000 people last night. Was a big moment for me

Thanks to all you mental staff-juggly god types for inspiring me to put a large chunk of the last 18 months practising this stuff, you're all mint

Hello

New staff juggling video by me and my colleague Kasmir Download the good quality http://www.students.tut.fi/~virtan67/insidethefire.wmv

or check out poor quality in youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6bZhW_aQQk

Niko
Its great to see some new staff jugglers posting videos, nice work dude,the 3 staff shower is a tricky pattern and its always nice to see someone learn it.
If it was me i would get lighter staffs and work on throwing them higher, this should give you more time to get the patterns cleaner,
also be aware that long periods of training the shower can be seriously bad for your throwing shoulder, it took me a long time to sort mine out after hammering the shower pattern, i only train the shower pattern from a maintenance point of view,not to learn any new tricks,
bastl taught me the cascade which i am now obsessed with, it s a great pattern a lot easier to learn than the shower,
anyway good work and meery christmas

josh,
say hi to your mom from me!

and from me

i am preparing a nice list that should prove useful for staff jugglers. will definitely be up on here (maybe with video, if my camera has decided to not be broken - about 50% chance...) in january (it as to be ready for the 5th for something else).

includes

2 and 3 staff siteswaps and standard patterns, with variations
basic 4 staff patterns and multiplexes
two person patterns

merry christmas

R

'basic' 4 staff patterns???

I must be trailing the curve...

WWFF
As far as Im aware there are no basic four staff juggling patterns, Ive only ever seen two four staffs patterns juggled.
Ive seen the fourstaff fountain on videos but never done cleanly,
Ive seeh josh and myself juggle the four staff shower but only josh is clean,
Im wouldnt be suprised if josh has a new pattern or two but i dont know as he keeps very quiet about these things!!
Rob it will be great to see your new patterns although the description of basic is something we would have to debate.Are you sure you havent been at the Christmas gin bottle?(i would put a cheeky winking icon here is i could find them!)
Merry christmas you lovely people
xxx
xx
x
PS please can someone buy seb some trousers for christmas

by basic i meant the simplest, not that they are easy....