Colm Fitzpatrick
Children’s Corner
Performance arts are an excellent way to gain confidence in yourself and can also be very enriching and creative. One ancient art form that dates back to the time of the Pharaohs is juggling, which has thrived throughout the world in places like China and even Siberia.
Although there are various forms of juggling, such as hat manipulation, plate spinning and the diabolo, the simplest type is three-ball cascade juggling. Learning to juggle is surprisingly easy and there are lots of online resources to help you along the way to become a master juggler. But in order to learn, you of course need juggling balls, which can be made at home with a few easily accessible items at little to no cost.
Firstly pour about half a cup of rice into an empty water bottle, and then inflate a balloon to about the size of a large orange or grapefruit, twist the neck of the balloon and then stretch it over the neck of the bottle. It is important to remember that the size of the juggling balls depends on how much rice you put inside the bottle.
Next, turn the bottle upside down, with the balloon still attached so that all of the rice will fall into the inflated balloon. After this, remove the balloon from the bottle and let it deflate. Cut the neck of the balloon which will leave you with a ball with a small hole in it.
Then, cut the neck of a second balloon and stretch it over the hole to seal the rice into your juggling ball. Make sure you ask your parents for a helping hand throughout this process and when completed three times, you will have your own set of juggling balls.
To make the juggling balls look more colourful and eye-catching, you can cut lots of very small holes in a different coloured balloon by pinching it between your thumb and carefully cutting off the tips – remove the neck and then stretch it over a juggling ball to make spotty patterns.
Coordination
One of the important skills that juggling teaches you is hand-eye coordination – jugglers never look at their hands when they’re performing but always where the juggling balls will be at their highest point.
The three-ball cascade isn’t the only pattern you can learn; in fact there are hundreds, which all have a unique style and movement. Some performers have even managed to juggle 21 balls whereas others juggle with objects such as clubs and even chainsaws!
Learning how to three-ball juggle will be the first step in reaching the incredible skills of these professionals.