The Wake

The University Juggling Club has experienced times of great popularity and spells of waning interested, but through it all they remain one of the most unique groups on campus with a visible presence.

On a sunny day while walking to class, students can spot the club performing different tricks. It’s enough to convince any student that they ought to be doing something besides going to class on a beautiful day. Dazzling maneuvers entice onlookers and evoke admiration.

The group reached a critical mass in the early ‘90s when they performed at various university functions and garnered appreciation for their skill level. The members of the group during that time parlayed that acclaim into an annual festival.

The Mondo festival is now one of the largest in the country with participants coming from all over to take in the sights and display their skills. Some of the events include an endurance competition where a group of jugglers perform together until the last person finally drops a pin. The festival is often held in conjunction with the Minnesota Unicycle Club, another big organization that performs across the state.

Jonathan Gill, president of the club, says he knew how to juggle before joining the group and saw it as an opportunity to improve and meet people on campus. He has been involved with the club since 2000, when many of the experienced members graduated and he took on the leadership of the group.

The Juggling Club now consists of around 15-20 members, he says. They vary in skill level from beginners to some members with more experience. It doesn’t take long to learn how to juggle pins, Gill says. After refining individual skills the group moves on to work on passing skills that will help in future shows. From there members start to play juggling games like combat where three people juggle together while trying to knock each others’ pins out of the way. The games help members work on passing patterns, which in turn lead to great shows.

The club used to perform many shows, but now with membership and commitment levels down, it has become more of a social group. Gill says he would like to get back into doing more shows as a group. The shows are lively events, often including torches, balls and even knives being juggled. Through performing at shows individuals in the group try to work on their own style and create their own persona on stage by juggling unusual objects or performing difficult juggling patterns, Gill says.

The group performed for the Alumni Association awhile back, getting Bob Bruininks involved in the act by having him stand in the center while pins flew over his head, perhaps leaving some audience members hoping a pin might fall.

Gill said the first day of the school year is usually the biggest day for the group to gain more exposure to students. The first day is typically nice outside and many of the new students are out and looking for various ways to get involved on campus, he said.

The Juggling Club presents a different type of activity for people looking to try something interesting. Many of the members are from the IT school, mainly because of the type of personality some IT students share. Once they get started on something they tend to focus on it and work on it until they get proficient in that skill, Gill says.

At any rate the Juggling Club gives a unique outlet to students who want to participate in something outside the norm. The club is gearing up for a charity performance at Coffman on April 20th. So if you “just wanna chill for awhile” and take a break from celebrating, be sure to check these guys out and their mesmerizing aerial display.