Plus, in today’s juggling world, with all the tools you can use to promote yourself, anyone can become an international sensation overnight. But you really should see how those jugglers of old became famous if you want to join them in the history books. Below is a list of the 4 famous jugglers of all time. Read it well and learn from it, and use the new knowledge from it to become a legend!
1. Enrico Rastelli (1896-1931) – To those who knew him, Rastelli was the most famous and greatest of all jugglers who ever lived. Back when variety was still the main form of entertainment, Rastelli was one of variety’s most celebrated and popular celebrities.
One of Rastelli’s greatest publicity weapons had nothing to do with his juggling: it was his personality. His charisma and wit were deeply loved by the press as much as by his audience. Any young juggler needs to follow his example and develop a nice personality to become famous. You could juggle 100 balls at a time, but if you’re a jerk, no one will like or hire you.
Rastelli’s unique acts became the standards by which jugglers of his time had modeled and compared their acts. Three distinct periods characterized his career:
a) has inspired the Japanese juggler Takaschima, so he makes this period a Japanese-style ball manipulation;
b) in this period he wore a silk suit and then worked with rubber balls;
c) and finally, just as soccer was gaining a positive reputation, he changed his act again and decided to juggle using leather soccer balls.
The good thing about Rastelli’s different styles is that he knew how to change them according to the fashion of the time, as well as to be up to date. He set the record for juggling up to ten small balls. You can do the same if you keep up with all the new trends in juggling: Chinese diabolos, contact juggling, devil sticks, etc.
2. Paul Cinquevalli (1859-1918) – Originally named Paul Braun-Lehmann, he got his stage name “Cinquevalli” after eloping with an Italian acrobatic troupe. The most prominent feature of him is making and inventing his own tricks involving the manipulation of billiard cues and balls, umbrellas, steel balls, hats and those that are not nailed to the ground.
At this time, his appearance and style may seem old-fashioned, but in his time he was responsible for great advances in the general public’s appreciation of juggling. Promoting juggling in general (ie the guys who founded the internet juggling database) is a great way to get a lot of exposure.
3. Bobby May (1907-1981) – His real name was Ludwig Mayer and many people consider him to be the best juggler in America. It was in 1922 when he made his first professional appearance, he was 15 years old at the time.
After 3 years, together with a partner, they started working on the RKO Keith Orpheum Vaudeville circuits called “Joe Candy and Bro.-Comedy Mad Hatters”. They were a double juggling act with Bobby May being the serious man. However, in 1928, May decided to return to work as a solo juggler. He also started using promoters to get his name out there on the entertainment circuit. It was probably then that he made his strongest strides to make a name for himself among large audiences (perhaps you can learn from his example).
Also, the years 1930-1948 saw the development of his career, as he did things that only a professional juggler can do. He even toured some parts of the world, an incredible feat given the ongoing World War.
One last interesting point about Bobby May was that although he could juggle 8 balls, his best act was always with 3 and 5 balls, respectively. Just because one feat is more difficult than another doesn’t mean his audience will understand and appreciate that fact. They want to see tricks that look cool, not just tricks that look hard.
4. Francis Brunn: A writer once said that trying to define Brunn’s act was like trying to describe the amazing flight of the swallow. He was so fast and talented with his stick tricks.
His act first included juggling three sticks briefly and at incredible speed. Then he would throw the last stick into the air, jump up and deftly snatch it out of the air. This trademark, while not the most difficult stunt of his, was loved by fans. Having an engaging and exciting opener is a huge key to a memorable juggling routine.
Brunn became famous for his incredible control. He would sometimes bounce a ball erratically at extreme angles, sometimes jump to headbutt it at just that unexpected and exciting moment. The use of his head also clearly identified Brunn from his competitors. Creating unique and unconventional tactics is a great way to become famous as a juggler.
I hope you have been inspired by reading about the lives and routines of these 4 experts. Maybe you can incorporate some of his tactics into your routine and become the next famous juggler.
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