



Introducing the 2012 Video Tutorial Contest judges, in alphabetical order:

Robin Chestnut

Biography:

Robin Chestnut is from Teulon, Manitoba, Canada. He’s the 1990 Canadian Juggling Champion, and competed at the IJA in ’88, ’89, ’90, ’91. He was an IJA Competition Judge in ’92, and later competed again in 2003 senior’s IJA. Robin was featured in the Video Thing You Can’t Do 2 by Ivan Pecel. Robin holds a B.A. in English, Psychology, and studied Sport Psychology from University of Winnipeg. However, he’s been a professional juggler since 1998. Robin currently performs primarily in Western Canada but has travelled as far as China and Saudi Arabia. Corporate events and festivals are main venues for Robin, but he also teaches a school program as The Juggling Coach, emphasizing mental as well as physical development.

Tutorial Preferences:

While I prefer toss juggling, I’m open to seeing well produced videos on auxiliary props as well. I like to see the move in full, then the move ‘broken down’ into its component parts if applicable, giving the student a progression of steps to master. Then, if possible, I’d want to see advanced, and really advanced versions of a move, or examples of how the move can be included in a sequence or in a performance. Production value/quality video is also important to convey a sense of professionalism. Venue, attire, background should all enhance and direct focus to the move being taught and should not distract the viewer. I’d also be open to hear how the presenter approaches a new move, details of practice, etc. That said, I’ll also be looking for brevity, too much additional, extraneous, unimportant information that detracts from getting to the point of the video will count against the videos.

Additional Comments:

Juggling is still quite a young activity, but it’s rapidly growing. I’m always so impressed at seeing so many helpful and supportive jugglers willing to pass on what they’ve learned, of course this is at the heart of what the IJA is about. Previously, it was the offspring of vaudevillians who led the way in the world of juggling, Albert Lucas and Anthony Gatto were inspirations. With the invention of VCR’s (early video recorder/players) we saw an explosion in the popularity and skill level of juggling. Juggling took another leap forward with the advent of youtube and other online video sharing sites, ala Juggling.tv . As our avocation evolved we saw other organizations pop up, first with local clubs and festivals, and a new competition in the form of the WJF. Youth juggling and circus clubs are also springing up around the country, spreading the enjoyment of the activity. I’m particularly impressed with Paul Arneberg’s Jugheads Youth Juggling Company. So it’s natural that an online Tutorial competition has come into being. Congratulations to past winners. I not only look forward to seeing who becomes a dominant force in this domain, but I’m also pleased to be part of the process. Good luck, and many thanks to all those putting forward an entry!

Steve “thegoheads” Hoggan

Biography:

I’m Steven Hoggan, from Las Vegas, Nevada USA! I randomly learned to juggle when I was very young, but it wasn’t until I was 24 that I was exposed to some great youtube juggling videos that inspired me to start juggling everyday. For the past five years now, I’ve been juggling like crazy and attending every convention I can find the time for. I’ve learned a lot about juggling from youtube tutorial videos, and I’ve also made quite a few tutorial videos of my own. Based on the countless hours I have spent watching, making, or just brainstorming about juggling tutorial videos, I am full of confidence that I will be able to make a good, fair decision when I cast my vote for the best videos in this year’s contest.

Tutorial Preferences:

I’ll try to outline a few of the things I prefer to see in tutorial videos, but of course, I will keep an open mind in the judging process so these aren’t necessarily the most important factors in winning my vote.

1) Less common tricks/patterns. If you are thinking of making a tutorial for 3 ball mills mess, maybe try a different trick because there are already lots of mills mess tutorials.

2) Content. Lots of it. After you teach a trick in your video, why stop there? Teach us some variations or some other similar tricks too!

3) Clear, concise information. Are you pausing to say “Uhh, umm, uhh” while filming your video? Take some time to write a script for your video, this way you will be able to gather your thoughts more clearly before filming. Keep in mind that youtube is worldwide, and people who do not speak the same language as you may try learning from your video. Try to include visual as well as verbal explanations to make the video useful in more ways and to more people. Slow-motion is a good example of a way to “explain something visually.”

4) Production quality. I will not be very picky about this, because not everyone can afford great equipment or professional production. Just be sure to double check the lighting, sound levels, framing, etc. – try to produce the best video you can with the equipment you have to work with. There are several things you can do to make your video look better without spending a dime – get creative!

5) Entertainment value. Sure, your video might be a great learning tool filled with clear information, but that doesn’t necessarily make it exciting and fun to watch! A little bit of smiling and enthusiasm can go a long way…

Santi Malabari

Biography:

Hello! My name is Santiago Reza A.K.A “Santi Malabari”. I’m from Mexico City. I started juggling age 21, and was taught by my cousin who just knew the cascade. From there I couldn’t stop! My real breakthrough was a year after getting Charles Dancey’s “Encyclopedia of ball juggling”, It blew my mind realizing how things were possible, and learning that there were juggling festivals and that there was a worldwide juggling movement. His book further inspired me, and I started juggling much more, and traveled a lot trying to attend as many festivals and get to know as many jugglers as I could. Now I work professionally as a juggler mostly with “Humanicorp”(dance company) and “Cirko de Mente” (circus company) but the thing I enjoy most its giving juggling workshops – which I’ve been doing for the past 5 or 6 years. I really love juggling and after almost 10 years of doing it, my passion for it still gets bigger everyday.

Tutorial Preferences:

I haven’t watched many tutorials lately, but I would like to see something original and/or surprising. Numbers juggling is pretty straightfoward in its training so I’d rather see some complex manipulation with fewer objects, or a tutorial of a new styles or possibilities instead of just a trick. The production of the video is not too important to me – I’d rather see something edited simply with interesting content.

Santi on YouTube.

Steven Ragatz

Biography:

My first experience with the IJA was the SUNY Purchase festival in 1983. I remember that trip to New York (it was a high school graduation present from my folks) fondly as it was the first time I had really been really challenged by high caliber juggling and introduced to a large juggling festival. All I wanted to do was go around the floor, watch and learn. I soaked in everything I could see and hear for the entire week.

The methods may have changed in the past thirty years. These days, even though the video format and the Internet now give aspiring jugglers a way to learn juggling that wasn’t really available back in ’83, the basic needs for teaching are the same.

Tutorial Preferences:

What I am looking for in a video submission is organization, clarity and structure, but mostly the content has to inspire. Make me want to learn what you’re teaching and challenge me like that first festival did three decades ago.

Steven Ragatz’s webpage.

Team Rootberry

Biography: Jonathan Root & Bill Berry are originally from San Diego California but now reside in Orlando Florida. Over the past 15 years they have performed professionally as the juggling duo Rootberry. Winners of the IJA People’s Choice Award and Individual and Team gold medals in 2003, they have a deep appreciation for juggling. Bill Berry has a particular fondness for fluid three ball juggling! Team Rootberry on YouTube.



Ori Roth

Biography:

I’m Ori Roth, from Israel, Earth. I think I have a decent knowledge both in juggling and video making to appreciate juggling tutorials. I started juggling when I was 9. I found it fun, especially when the progression was fast.

My relationship with the juggling community started pretty much when I was born since my father is also a juggler, so I got to watch a lot of it and I liked it. At a certain point it became somewhat overdosed, that’s why I started “only” when I was 9. After two years of practice I got this boring feeling about it and stopped for 5 years. When I got back into it, the world of juggling and the world in general had changed a lot after the internet expanded worldwide. That affected amazingly on juggling and it not only let me watch others and put my stuff online, but pushed me to meet other people and share the knowledge in real life, both in Israel and abroad.

Tutorial Preferences:

I’d like to see a well made video, which are also well understood. It would be nice if it would be fun and/or interesting to watch, because if you want me to learn something you should teach it in a good way… So it doesn’t really matter what you are showing, as long the way you are showing it is fun/interesting.

Additional Information:

I don’t have any specific juggling tutorial video, but my favorite non-juggling video online is – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kL3qK9EVvU&feature=related

My first juggling festival was a mini convention in Jerusalem in 1997. My favorite festival memory in the end of the gala show of the 13th Israeli Juggling convention. There was a standing ovation and the crowd was nuts! We all yelled “we want more! we want more!…” and the artists quickly organized and did a little juggle jam right on the spot. It was pure bliss.

Find Ori on juggling.tv and YouTube.

Paul Seward

Biography:

Born and raised in Bristol (England, UK – not the one in Texas), Paul has been absorbing himself in juggling and various related performing arts for almost 30 years. Initially interested in magic, Paul started out performing as a magician but was swept up in the great UK juggling boom of the early 1990s and has been juggling ever since.

Well, he says that.

These days he doesn’t do much actual juggling, but does do an awful lot of thinking, reading, writing and watching juggling. That’s almost the same thing right? His juggling passions are unusual props, historical jugglers and modern technology.

Since 2000 he’s been involving himself in UK conventions from small fests to BJCs. Helping out behind the scenes, running workshops and embarrassing himself on stage. He was one of the brains behind the Tricks With Hats tutorial DVD and website, and has an opinion on everything (especially this biography!)

As it’s a “tutorial” contest, Paul will be doing his best to ignore his love of unusual props and remain prop/topic agnostic. Instead he’ll be judging based on the clarity of presentation and quality of teaching.

Any juggler can demonstrate a trick, only a few can teach one. Are you that juggler?

Additional Information:

What is your favorite juggling tutorial online?

Does “Juggling Tae Bo” count as a juggling tutorial?

What is your favorite non-juggling video online?

“cows & cows & cows” by Cyriak – It’s a bit “odd” (but is perfectly safe for work)

What was your first juggling festival?

The Bristol Circus Convention, 1996 – I was only there for the second Saturday (of a 9 day festival) but it changed my life.

What is your favorite juggling festival memory?

Meeting Stuart Ashman. You’ve probably never heard of him, but he was one of the team behind a juggling magazine called “The Catch” which was right at the heart of the UK juggling scene when I was learning to juggle.

If you could meet one juggler you haven’t met before (living or dead), who would it be?

Difficult question, but it’s a toss up between Bobby May and Gaston Palmer. They both made difficult tricks with household items look far too easy.

Paul Seward on the web. Little Paul on rec.juggling .

The Void

Biography:

I’m The Void, but you can call me Void. I’m from the UK, more specifically England, more specifically… hey, what are you, a stalker? I’m the co-runner of juggling.tv, so I’ve seen a lottttttt of juggling videos. I’ve also made a lot of videos, and learned a little something with each one. I’ve been juggling for almost 20 years, and I’m still juggling partly because it’s my job, and partly because I’ve made a lot of great friends through this silly hobby. I like to go to a lot of conventions, because I get to meet up with some of these friends, learn new tricks, teach stuff (mostly kendama these days), lounge about, play games and chill. I’ve also been posting on rec.juggling for 12 years or so, sometimes helpfully.

Tutorial Preferences:

I don’t mind what prop, style or number are in your video. But if you don’t know the difference between a tutorial, a description and a demonstration, you’re not going to get my vote. I’m looking for a good explanation. The tutorial should stand on its own merits. Good lighting, focus, framing and other video-making skills are likely to sway me too. Which doesn’t mean I expect you to have £1000s-worth of equipment, but I do expect you to have read the manual on the equipment you do have. And if I’m torn between two videos that I think have equal merit, I’m more likely to lean towards the one that was uploaded to JTV. 😉

Additional Comments:

Favourite juggling tutorial video? Hmmm…. I wasn’t aware I had one until being asked the question, but the one that springs to mind is Luke Wilson’s 3 club kickup tutorial. My first juggling festival was a tiny one in Weymouth, Dorset, 1992. I saw Guy Heathcote doing 3 diabolos there. Current favourite j-fest memory is getting my kendama 3rd Dan at the EJC last year. Meet a juggler living or dead….. Cinquevalli, so I could check the shape of his head, and pick his brains on his moves, and teach him a trick.

(Editor’s note — Check out juggling.tv ! juggling.tv! Did we mention – juggling.tv ?! )

Thom Wall

Biography:

Hi there! I’m Thom. I’m a juggler from the American Midwest who likes teaching workshops and making friends at juggling festivals. Right now, I live and go to school in Brattleboro, Vermont, as I’m in a professional development program at the New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA). There, I study hoop-diving, juggling, and rola bola. When I’m not doing that, I’m a graduate student at Drexel University where I’m working towards an MS in Non-Profit Arts Administration. In my spare time, I run the IJA’s Video Tutorial Contest! I am serving at the tie-breaking vote, should a need for one arise this year.

Tutorial Preferences:

There are an awful lot of basic juggling tutorials out there, and I don’t see a simple “learn the three-ball cascade” video winning many votes. (It’d be hard to beat Per’s entry from last year, at any rate!) I love three and four ball tricks, particularly those that incorporate body throws and movement. There aren’t many passing tutorials out there, either – make one of those! Oh! Or cigar box tutorials! We need more cigar boxes, dudes. Same thing with shaker cups… while my roommates think they’re too noisy, I think the world just needs more good shaker cup jugglers.

Basically – if the tie takes place, I’m voting for the more esoteric trick, the more humorous video, or the one with more shaker cups in it.

Check out Thom’s juggling.tv and YouTube Channels.

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The IJA Video Tutorial Contest is the largest online education program in the juggling world. Jugglers submit tutorial videos through the month of March, following a specific set of guidelines (.pdf) via a link on the IJA eZine homepage. These videos are evaluated by our crack team of judges in early April, and the top 10 videos are awarded huge prizes! An online poll, open to everyone, will be used to select the People’s Choice Award. This contest is open to all members of the juggling community, and is open to all areas of juggling, circus, and object manipulation.

Read more about the IJA Video Tutorial Contest here, or by searching the IJA eZine for #VTC2012.

Check out the IJA Video Tutorial Contest on Facebook.