It's about the drop.

I remember well my drive across the country from Montana to Georgia, especially the day when I passed through Sturgis, South Dakota during the world famous Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

What struck me more than the ear splitting volume (and visual beauty) of the motorcycles was the rich, larger-than-life American subculture that surrounded them. Before me were literally hundreds of thousands of people who were neck deep in an entire universe that I knew nothing about. I felt as if I had been dropped onto another planet. At other points in my life, I've stumbled upon windows into other such strata of American life, observing the activities of friends who were into "fan fiction" or computer programming, or fencing.

Recently, it occurred to me that I have been a part of several of these hidden worlds. The ethics profession is one, to be sure, but that which I enjoy the most is the domain of jugglers. Here there is a shared body of knowledge, language, dress, assemblies, heroes, and sacred days. If you want to get an idea for what it's like, check out my favorite juggling store, Dube.

The Flying Karamazov Brothers

I began to love juggling as I watched Steve Russell perform twice a week (for sixteen weeks) when I worked for American Hawaii Cruises. It wasn't long before I found myself drawn to The Flying Karamazov Brothers, a truly amazing group of entertainers / jugglers. If you have an opportunity to see them perform, take it. They will be in Atlanta in January.

Steve Russell

One of the truly exceptional human beings on this planet is Steve Russell. When performing with his wonderful wife Kobi Shaw, they form the juggling team In Capable Hands. This former Clown College professor has performed on The Tonight Show, and most recently, in the New York City Opera's production of Pagliacci. You can see Steve and Kobi in action by looking at these YouTube postings. There's also a great video on Steve's booking agent's pages. You never knew how badly you needed a juggler around until you've met Steve.