September 15th, 2009 | Posted by tony
Best Catches is a sifter for the unplugged, the lazy, and the busy. It’s a weekly roundup of the freshest juggling videos, forum topics, and blog posts – in short, it does a lot of work so you don’t have to.
:: Wes gets the top nod this week for “Counting Escalator Steps,” a Sakari-inspired (maybe?) mostly three-club video with some complex combinations and inspired body moving. Perhaps further off the radar is this video of Wes and Patrik Elmnert performing for the king and queen of Sweden in July.
:: There are so many editing styles I dislike in the final HOF “Juggler Hero,” that I’m almost deterred from recommending it. But the ball tricks included are unprecedented, so half-shield your eyes for Ori Roth and Bar Mualem.
:: “Das model,” a pole manipulation routine performed by Elena Shapoval (Ukraine) and directed by Taras Pozdnyakov is generating a lot of buzz at the forum. Other Pozdnyakov videos of note are here.
:: Ben Thompson juggles and balances like mad. Christof Buch, too. Whose tricks do you prefer?
:: Agency Franko has a slew of new videos up, perhaps most interestingly is a solid giant-triangles routine.
:: Gandini jugglers throw illuminated clubs.
:: CircusPrincess, an annual competition for female circus performers, is still accepting and posting routines. Nata Galkina’s anti-podist routine is now up, for example.
:: Does juggling cause back problems? I say yes. FORUM.
September 7th, 2009 | Posted by tony
Best Catches is a sifter for the unplugged, the lazy, and the busy. It’s a weekly roundup of the freshest juggling videos, forum topics, and blog posts – in short, it does a lot of work so you don’t have to.
:: If you haven’t crapped your pants by 2:40 in this video, please make sure your diaper is properly fastened at that point, because that’s when Ameron Rosvall goes really nuts. “Journey to the End of the Night,” is so good it made Wes scream in his bed. Don’t doubt it: there are never-before-seen body throws and combinations in this mostly three-club video.
:: Rueben’s routine is sweet. As he becomes more crisp and clear and discernible, his stuff will look so good. He also has a surprisingly so-so squeeze catch video out.
:: Maelle Vie is like the Missy Elliott of club swinging. I mean that wholly as a compliment. Thanks to the Ministry guys for linking us to her new video “Yesterday Didn’t Happen.” The sequence starting around 3:20 was really nice, among an overall fatiguing amount of awesomeness that left me thinking little more than Wow, it’s breezy out there.
:: Nathan Rae’s new video, “Juggling For Nelson,” is one of his most captivating. Also of note, he has written about cameras to be used for filming juggling.
:: Watch this EJC 2009 in Vitoria video, at least for the first two minutes of hat manipulation (and maybe for nothing more).
:: Most epic juggling video moment in recent history: See 1:17.
:: The Morning News, of Arkansas, featured their local jugglers.
August 31st, 2009 | Posted by tony
Best Catches is a sifter for the unplugged, the lazy, and the busy. It’s a weekly roundup of the freshest juggling videos, forum topics, and blog posts – in short, it does a lot of work so you don’t have to.http://streetjuggling.com/StreetBlog/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=1197
:: CircusPrincess is hosting its annual competition for female circus performers. The festival, annual since 2003, is accepting video submissions until Sept. 28. Already, at least four jugglers are among the competitors, including Audrey Decaillon, Frida Brinkmann, and Cate Flaherty. You get five votes and the popularity contest is already on. Thus far, Decaillon is the highlight for me, so watch her if you haven’t before..
:: Spencer Hearne is asking for comments on a 29-second club routine he posted. I’m newly acquainted with Spencer’s juggling and I really like the purpose he seems to bring to each throw. Not flawless, but hard to stop watching. Here’s a three-club routine. His profile.
:: Emman has a fun video up with cool bbb stuff and some solid five-ring juggling. Etc. Also, Emman’s favorites are worth keeping an eye on. To wit: this video (how only 56 views?).
:: Chris Hodge gives us a 5, 6, 7, 8-ball montage with backcrosses and pirouettes galore. Check out the mad series starting at 1:07.
:: Wes snippets (with an ode to Biljauer) and a brief one-shot bootleg.
:: Jay, too, posted a few snips of rhythmic juggling. Don’t miss his ultra-brief three-ball sequence.
:: Evsukevich juggles rings and some impressive mixed props.
:: David Ferman’s new video includes a five-club crotch throw flash.
Note: new tags are being worked into Best Catches posts for better topical archiving; by juggler’s name, etc.
August 24th, 2009 | Posted by tony
Best Catches is a sifter for the unplugged, the lazy, and the busy. It’s a weekly roundup of the freshest juggling videos, forum topics, and blog posts – in short, it does a lot of work so you don’t have to.
:: “Ohio” is the newest video edited by Wes Peden, featuring: “Teruki Okamoto, Yuri Yamamura, and Patrik Elmnert rocking out the modern juggling in Jay Gilligan’s back yard after the Shoebox Tour … The music is by Pogo and Errand boy.”
:: The forum lights up with talk about numbers juggling world records and how to keep track of them on Wikipedia. Almost in response, Sam Hartford posts a video of a 12-ring flash.
:: Wim posted a terrific EJC 2009 video from Vitoria, Spain. Highlights include two balls kept aloft with the head, quirky three-club and three-ball work, and some six- and seven-club runs. Good music too.
:: Anthony Gatto has a new video with big numbers runs.
:: Thom and Alan pass in their fourth vid, featuring some six-club passing novelties and impressive numbers dabbling.
:: Marcus Monroe wrangles an alligator. A juggler tosses atop the Matterhorn.
:: The New York Times features a “skinny German juggle boy.”
August 18th, 2009 | Posted by tony
:: Kaj-Mikael Schutt juggles “Finnish Poles,” with some surprising ideas that make the video worth watching straight through.
:: Wes Peden juggles his fancy new balls in “I Don’t Want to Write a Novel.”
:: Luke Wilson, Kitchen Manipulation VII and a new one-shot. (One-shot history.)
:: Tony Pezzo does one combination and juggles with Thom Wall.
:: Luke Burrage shows off his “air bounces” technique.
:: Caio Cesar Stevanovich in performance and practice.
August 11th, 2009 | Posted by tony
Best Catches is a sifter for the unplugged, the lazy, and the busy. It’s a weekly roundup of the freshest juggling videos, forum topics, and blog posts – in short, it does a lot of work so you don’t have to.
Two days late this week, but if you’ve missed any of what follows, they’ll show it was worth the wait.
:: Like a bolt from the blue, Sakari posts a new three-club video. It’s smooth and novel and those are understatements.
:: Svetlana Zueva juggles in a nicely edited club video. She’s also charming the menfolk at the forum.
:: From the vaults come two videos of Yevgeni Bilyauer doing his manic juggling. His energy and daring — and the number of fat ends he catches and corrects — really adds excitement to his juggling. The throng of juggling women, too. See both clips on JTV.
:: Evsukevich #7 is up.
August 2nd, 2009 | Posted by tony
Best Catches is a sifter for the unplugged, the lazy, and the busy. It’s a weekly roundup of the freshest juggling videos, forum topics, and blog posts – in short, it does a lot of work so you don’t have to.
:: The most startling video of the past three weeks comes from Emillia Taurisano and Leonardo Cristiani, who demonstrate tandem foot juggling and really pretty patterns.
:: He’s my good friend and he’s made a great juggling video: watch Nick Laffey’s new body roll combinations in Doppelganger.
:: This ball act by Remi Darbois raised my skepticism at first for its seemingly over-obvious interpretation of the music, theatrics, and character introduction. But Remi’s juggling is crisp and daring and convinced me otherwise.
:: If you haven’t already, visit Renegadesignlab.com (yes, with that shared ‘D’ in the spelling). Many reviews have been positive of the group’s IJA presentations and subsequent participation in the Shoebox Tour America. At the site, you can sign up to receive new props to test out and review to assist in the group’s research. Also, totally unrelated but similar, David Kha shows of a modded club.
:: Recent historical clips posted included a horseback juggler and Francis Brunn in Circus Sarrasani.
:: And it’s not just because I know him that I think Daniel Eaker’s IJA highlights video is the best so far from the fest. Take a peek at Nick Laffey’s arm balances in the X-Juggling comp.
:: Jorg Muller has an odd balance video.
:: Bart Hoving is posting a series of videos before he moves to Berlin. So far, I actually like this trailer best.
:: Freddy Sheed juggles. Luke Burrage blogs the EJC. Thomas Dietz will soon have a DVD. Picasso Jr. set a record.
:: Void shows a developing kendama and ball routine.
July 7th, 2009 | Posted by tony
Best Catches is a sifter for the unplugged, the lazy, and the busy. It’s a weekly roundup of the freshest juggling videos, forum topics, and blog posts – in short, it does a lot of work so you don’t have to.
:: K.Cima busts “extreme kendama.”
:: A strange duo bounce act from Circo Massimo.
And with that, Best Catches goes on hiatus until August. (I’m getting married!)
June 28th, 2009 | Posted by tony
Best Catches is a sifter for the unplugged, the lazy, and the busy. It’s a weekly roundup of the freshest juggling videos, forum topics, and blog posts – in short, it does a lot of work so you don’t have to.
:: Chris Hodge juggled 10 hours on Wednesday, apparently, but did not come to juggling club (insider information here). But we’ll forgive him, since a new practice video came out of his day. Includes 5b, 7b, and 9b backcrosses and other numbers feats.
:: BJC 2007 videos are now available on JTV. Including:
Get the Shoe
Vova
Wes
:: Thom’s ball routine is surprising throughout and comfortable. I like how he moves.
:: Scott Slesnick keeps his street cred with a rare video showing his tennis can routine.
:: Unnamed club passers. Well known passers, with balls.
:: Yukiya is a box manipulator with a unique style.
June 21st, 2009 | Posted by tony
Best Catches is a sifter for the unplugged, the lazy, and the busy. It’s a weekly roundup of the freshest juggling videos, forum topics, and blog posts – in short, it does a lot of work so you don’t have to.
:: The talk of the town is “Asleep,” the latest in a great pantheon of juggling videos that begin with men in bed.
“Asleep” is as good as any in that tradition (see Isaac Rockafellow), and being touted as the best video of the year. Sid Lorenzo Crivellair’s club juggling is the “sexiest” since “I Think You Scientists Are Crackpots,” one viewer said.
Test the video against those accolades for yourself. As for other 2009 vids, a quick glance doesn’t bring up many that compare: Cigarette ‘09 was sweet, as was Cigar Boxes 6. Club-wise, we’ve had Santi’s “Seaside Manipulation” and Noam Geller in “Busy Day,” but neither showcase the production quality of “Asleep.”
Komei’s “pinball” videos were late ‘08, as was “Un Chien Andalou.”
At least for me, the video has inspired me to pick up clubs — something even great videos can fail to do.
:: Kevin Axtell shows some cool scissor manipulations.
:: A tennis can playlist at the Ministry.
