Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 26, 1993 TAG: 9302250032
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By KEN DAVIS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
FLIGHT FROM HAND
Some call it magic - the art of the dexterous hands, gracefully manipulating gravity and velocity to seemingly suspend objects in midair.Others just call it juggling.
Whatever you call it, it's coming to Virginia Tech.
The Virginia Technical Jugglers will host their second annual Leap Day juggling festival Saturday and Sunday on the Tech campus. The event is free.
Chris Long, a third-year psychology major, is president of the Technical Jugglers and organizer of the festival. He said the festival draws some of the best talent in the business.
"The people that come to these things tend to be the really good jugglers," Long said. "A lot of these guys have won international competitions."
Long, who has been juggling since 1986, said he got the idea for the festival after attending shows on the East Coast two years ago where he was able to see "the real hotshots."
He said last year's competition drew more than 50 performers, far more than he expected, and he hopes this year's event will be even bigger.
"I expect at least a 20 percent increase," he said.
Long said the festival will bring jugglers from Pennsylvania to Georgia and as far west as Ohio. He said the largest juggling festivals draw 100 to 150 jugglers, making Tech's one of the biggest in the area.
Although the festival may be loaded with talent, many of the jugglers will have to tone down their routines. Due to university insurance regulations, there will be no stunt-juggling with knives and flaming torches. But Long said the members of the audience will be not be bored. Not only can they watch, they can participate.
"When we see people watching with their eyes wide open, we always ask if they want to try it," he said. "They usually say they can't, but we go ahead and put some balls in their hands anyway. Pretty soon we've got them juggling."
As the festival grows, Long said, he hopes to have more organized workshops for beginners wanting to learn to juggle.
Tom Kuhr, a second-year materials engineering major who is chairman of the festival, said the public shouldn't be shy about coming to the festival or juggling with the pros.
"There are plenty of people there who are nice and friendly and want to help people learn," he said. "Last year we had a lot of jugglers, but not a lot of nonjugglers. We hope for a bigger turnout this year."
Kuhr, also a member of the Virginia Technical Jugglers, said the spectators can enjoy a juggling festival as much as the participants.
"It's a blast - that's the best way I can put it."
The festival will be Saturday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., in room 125, War Memorial Gym. Several local and regional performers, including the Virginia Technical Jugglers, also will present a public show at 7 p.m. Saturday in Room 100, McBryde Hall.