When a friend of mine (who juggles for Acroentertainment) mentioned that there was a juggling workshop/club that met every week, I was interested but far from optimistic about the likelihood of learning the art with any success.

The experts in the group demonstrating lit torch juggling

Hand to eye coordination is not something I’m known for, and juggling certainly requires that and more. While I’ve admired the talent of jugglers as well as was entertained by it, I believed it was something I could never learn. This all changed after one evening at a workshop in the Method Community.

The NC State Juggling Club is a loosely organized group of experts and novices, organized and led by expert juggler Frank Jeffreys. They meet every Monday from 6:30 until 8:00 at the Method Community Center (514 Method Road). The workshop is welcoming of everyone at every skill level, and there’s no charge for attending and learning.

The ladies in the left of the image above are demonstrating a technique used to assist those new to the sport. The idea is for two people to stand side by side, each with one arm behind their back and cooperatively juggle. By doing this, you throw the ball or bean bag a bit slower, and usually with more accuracy. I fell into a category known as “the jogging juggler”, meaning my throws were so wild that I was constantly running all over the place trying to catch them. Pair juggling is especially helpful for this type of novice, as it tends to guide you to direct your throws in a more restrained fashion.

After only an hour or so of practice and guidance from those who are more skilled than I am, I was able to do 8 complete rotations — far more than I thought would be possible. But don’t let my bragging fool you, most of my time was spent chasing wildly flung bean bags.

Juggling is not only a fun way to build physical and mental dexterity, but it’s also a fantastic way to “reset the brain”. Several former and current colleagues of mine would start juggling when staring at a particular problem for too long. After a few minutes of forcing your brain to think in a completely different way, you approach a particular task, design, scenario, etc. with a fresh set of eyes and a fresh mind. It’s also a good cardiovascular workout and strength building exercise.

Above is the historic 1926 Agriculture Building where the group meets every Monday

I highly recommended attending one of the workshops of the NC State Juggling Club. All you have to do is show up on a Monday between 6:30 and 8:00 at the Method Community Center. All props (bean bags, balls, clubs, etc.) are provided and you need not sign up in advance. You can also join the Yahoo Group to keep up to date on current events and discussion on the topic.

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Thursday night was the Cameron Village Open House. It’s an event in which the shops stay open a bit later, Santa makes an appearance, and magicians, jugglers, bands, and other public performers line the sidewalks to provide entertainment for the entire family. The artists/entertainers featured here are Kaci Torres and Katie Magee from Acroentertainment–a juggling, yoga, acrobat, face painting, hula hooping, and general entertainment duo based out of Raleigh.

I’ve been friends with both Kaci and Katie for several years now. It was pure coincidence that Acroentertainment and Goodnight, Raleigh! were featured on the same page of the News & Observer about eight months ago in a series covering the resurgence of Downtown Raleigh.

They are best summed up by the description on their web site:

Acroentertainment combines balance, acrobatics, and juggling with creative body movement. Founded in 2007, what started as a whimsical collaboration project between Kaci Torres and Katie Magee, began to attract attention. Sharing an enthusiasm for street performing and a desire for play and physical activity, Acroentertainment evolved. With their roots in partner yoga, gymnastics, and circus fundamentals, Acroentertainment explores oppositional forces in balance and expressive body position while maintaining a lively, entertaining atmosphere.

In addition to Kaci and Katie’s performance, there was a balloon artist…

A live band performing Christmas carols…

A magician who captivated his young audience, as well as many other entertainers and carolers.

If you have an event, get together, or other celebration that could use some lively entertainment, get in touch with the ladies of Acroentertainment for a memorable and fun performance.

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