The Juggling Edge - Threads involving rainbowalice

rainbowalice - 8/2/2020 07:42 #

Cirque du Soleil Best of Juggling

For those who haven't seen it yet (it came out Friday): https://youtu.be/MTpd7Xd1DA0

For some reason there is a shortened version of Anthony Gatto's act, while Viktor Kee is way, way too long (ahem, I've just never liked Viktor Kee's act... Question of taste I suppose, as a lot of people seem to like it!)

In terms of show I love Gabriel Beaudoin in Kurios, because it's not a separate juggling act but fits into a larger piece.

A lot of other cool acts in there!

Kelhoon - 8/4/2020 06:01 - Parent #

I enjoyed that.

2 acts stood out to me, 1st the light-up balls in the cone and 2nd the bounce juggling on ice.

The 1st because I think it's one of the better uses of light-up balls that I've seen, the 2nd because I kept thinking wet silicon would be so tricky to juggle.

Tufty - 7/9/2020 11:22 #

Turns out the small furry 4 legged denizens of the alps have reduced my juggling balls (already rather aged, they probably date back to 1989 or so) to mere scraps of knawed cloth and a few husks of millet. My white silicon balls and my oddballs have gone crumbly, although the pink silicones are OK. So I'm in the market for some new balls.

Tempted by the spotlight silicones, but not sure what size I need, I'dbe looking for something the size of my old beanbags but don't know what size that is, and it seems the sizes of beanbags have multiplied by confusing amounts since I've been off the scene. I like firm beanbags, not the stretchy type, any idea what would replace my old ones (spotlights, maybe, they came from odballs back in the upper street days)?

Cheers for any advice...

rainbowalice - 7/10/2020 08:09 - Parent #

I replaced my beanbags with MMX balls - like beanbags they don't roll too much when dropped because it's not a hard shell and they're filled with seeds, but unlike beanbags they stay round when manipulated and throw.

They're soft to the touch and very firm - there's a little give if you squish them, but it's not like a beanbag.

Specifically I got the MMX1 - they're 62mm diameter, and 110g, so quite small and actually lighter than a lot of beanbags and great for 5 (I would say "5+" but that would falsely imply I can do the "+" :D ). Too small for doing three for an audience I'd guess. There are larger MMX balls too.

Here are the MMX1 https://www.oddballs.co.uk/play-mmx1-juggling-ball-62mm.html

I can confirm they're not mice proof! I used to have some larger MMX balls, mice eat through the shells!

(btw I'm in no way affiliated with either oddballs or play juggling!)

Tufty - 7/11/2020 08:17 - Parent #

Cheers for that. How do the MMX balls compare to the Beard DXs? I tried those when they came out, frankly I hated the feel, couldn't get on with them at all.

I'm thinking I need to get me to a convention and play with some of the various types of balls IRL, there's supposed to be one in Geneva in September, if the covid lurgy hasn't shut everything down again by then.

rainbowalice - 7/11/2020 11:08 - Parent #

I've not tried the Beard DX, but according to this page http://juggling-for-beginners.com/juggling-balls/hybrid-juggling-balls/

"The main difference is how the outer shell feels. DX are made from a rubbery material and MMX have a softer feeling like a latex baloon."

rainbowalice - 7/3/2020 16:22 #

Rolla Bolla sliding forward

Hello,

I've recently started the rolla bolla and have a problem: as I balance and roll left and right, the cylinder slowly slides forward under the board.

I take care to align the cylinder and the board properly. What would cause it to slide forward? Am I putting too much of my weight towards the back or the front? Are my feet somehow not in the right place?

I'm using a play juggling rolla bolla (so it has rubber bands on the cylinder) and I'm practicing on carpet.

Any thoughts appreciated, thanks :-)

Mini - 7/3/2020 20:14 - Parent #

The best advice i can give for RolaBola is this

its all in the shoulders.

if you focus on keeping those level and static you can forget about whats going on further down.

7b_wizard - 7/3/2020 21:11 - Parent #

does the carpet have thicker and thinner areas maybe so that your roller boller isnt level, else i dont know.

Daniel Simu - 7/4/2020 14:45 - Parent #

It would be the easiest to help you if you provide a video, but my guess would be that you rotate the board a bit when you move, and that way walk the board backwards.
If you check to see if the alignment remains correct while you're balancing, maybe you find out what's going on?

Also, carpet is great when you're just starting out, but as soon as you don't feel like the rola bola is dangerous any more, I'd recommend to move to a harder floor. For example you could put a wooden board under the roll, so you can keep training on the same place in the room.

Good luck!

rainbowalice - 7/4/2020 20:08 - Parent #

Ok, thanks for your input everyone :-)

I think I'll start by getting a board to put on the floor so I can practice on a hard surface (presumably it doesn't need to be bigger than the balancing board itself?) and if that doesn't help, I'll film myself to see if I'm somehow moving the board on top of the cylinder when I balance.

I will post updates here :-)

rainbowalice - 7/11/2020 20:10 - Parent #

I've solved the issue!

It took more than a week of frustration, trying to change how I moved, ensuring my hips were not twisting, checking how I put my weight on the board and so on until it turned out the problem was the Rolla Bolla.

The Play Bolla has small ridges inside which a thick rubber band is fitted. This provides better grip with the board. I've not yet determined which components was wrong (the ridge, the band or the fitting) but it turned out the rubber bands caused a small asymmetry in the cylinder, which in turn caused the board to slide one way or the other.

I have proven this theory by simply removing the rubber bands - the problem was solved instantly.

I've not tried to put them back yet (which is why I don't know if the issue was the fitting or one of the parts) as I like it more this way anyway, it feels more responsive.

I will write to Play and ask them their thoughts on this. If this is common they should put a note with the product.

Thanks everyone who chipped in some suggestions!

rainbowalice - 7/2/2020 12:36 #

Introduction :-)

Hello :-) I've just joined the Juggling Edge.

I started juggling in the late 90s and juggled throughout the naughties. I lost interest in the early tennies.

I recently got back into it, probably because of lockdown effect. My eyes get tired because of long hours on the computer (and phone),
and I've found toss juggling can cause eye strain, so I've diversified and I'm now learning rolla bolla and ball spinning.

Which is why I'm here as I want to ask some rolla bolla advice (in another post) :-)