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Juggling and Spinning

Disciplines

Our members practice and teach a number of different skills, all of which are commonly grouped together as “circus skills”, and include:

Juggling: The art of throwing objects (typically balls, clubs, rings, or scarves) into the air and catching them again.

Poi Spinning: Poi are weighted balls attached by strings to handles, typically featuring streamers or tails, and used as a pair. They are spun in various patterns around the performer.

Staff Spinning: Spinning wooden or metal poles, typically 5 feet long and tipped with fire-wicks at both ends. The staff is spun, thrown and caught in various ways.

Diabolo: Involves a spool shaped object which is whirled and tossed upon a string tied to two sticks, held one in each hand. A huge variety of tricks are possible using the sticks, string, and various body parts.

Devil Sticks: The continuous manipulation of one central stick by two smaller sticks held in the hands. The sticks are bounced and thrown so that they never touch the floor.

Contact Juggling: Rolling and manipulating one or more acrylic "crystal" balls over ones hands, arms, and body.

Meteor: Similar to Poi Spinning, the meteor consists of two weighted balls connected by a single string which may be spun or thrown.

Fire Arts: While we are currently unable to perform with fire, we hope this will change soon. All of the skills listed above can be performed with fire props, as well as fire breathing, fire eating, and fire dancing using fire fans or fire swords.

And many more: There are a great many performance skills and props that are related to the ones listed above, and we welcome performers of them to come along, practice their skills, and perhaps teach them to the group. Anything from Astro-Jax to Unicycles, and all things in between are of interest.

The University of Essex Juggling and Spinning Society was established in 2009, continuing the tradition and activities of the former Juggling Society which disbanded in 2007.

The society exists to promote, teach, and practice the arts of Juggling, Poi Spinning, Staff Spinning, Diabolo, Devil Sticks, Meteor, Fire Dancing, and other related skills and activities. Our sessions are relaxed and informal, and our members friendly and approachable.

Entry is open to all regardless of previous experience, and there will always be someone able and willing to teach you something new.

What we do

We hold weekly sessions from 6pm to 8pm every Monday during term time, up in the Hexagon, off square 4 (the entry is by the launderette). These sessions are very informal and members are welcome to show up at any time. The idea is to simply provide a venue for people to practice their skills, and a forum for people to exchange techniques and teach each other new moves or entirely new disciplines.

We are also more than happy to co-ordinate events and training sessions with other societies or departments. We enjoy running workshops and training sessions, and are happy to either teach your society members or work with you to teach the public side by side. Please send us an email if you are preparing an event you think would be mutually beneficial.

We hope in the future to also run sessions using Fire props, once the appropriate permissions have been obtained and a sufficient number of our membership have been adequately trained in the right safety and emergency procedures. At present however we are unable to endorse or participate in the use of fire props on campus or as an official society event.

club exec

President
Benjamin Sago
Secretary
Emma Elliott
 

regular meeting times, socials, events

membership

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