I just did the first performance of my new routine on Saturday. It's a bit rough around the edges but I'm pretty proud of it. Feedback welcome

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTYn777PyTQ

Hey Stephen,
thanks for posting your clip!
I really enjoyed it,....
because,
I'm working on a routine, myself, right now.
Your's showed me a lot of things to think about.

First, I want to say,
watching the video was cool,
especially when you dropped!
The tension, was great!!
I like when a film creates that.
,....sounds a bit macabre,...
but,.
a good film,..
'projects' emotion.

Yeah,...the routine,
the Magic,..
my thoughts.
What really struck me,..
what I'm going to try and do,...
I believe more time must be given,
establishing: 'the reality of the moment'.
hmmm,..?
At first, folks barely realise: No ball is there(!).
,then one appears.
I think, in almost ALL of the phases,
more time should be given,
establishing,...
'there is no ball.'
'there is one ball.'
'there are only two balls.'
'there is a third ball(!).
ect....
I didn't even really realise a fifth ball came into play.
Establishing 'reality', I realised,...is sö important.
,because,
as a Magician,
we're going to change it!

I think all,
the productions should,,.. could be more spectacular.
"Bwaaa! Something just happened!"

The Juggling and your technique is fine,
but the Magic isn't there yet,...
in my routine either....
(I would also like to SEE the contact patterns, a bit longer.
As a 'lay', I wouldn't comprehend them, as quickly as,..a 'stand'.)

Still, GREAT stuff!
Some of your moves really have me,....
wanting to give up(!).
Thanks for sharing.
I learned a lot,..for myself(!).
,....and,
I bow my head for your courage.
,.....I'm not sö far,...
yet.
Have a nice night,.
a good roll, and a smooth butterfly(!). 🙃
gallagher

Hey man thanks for that. You're right the magic needs a bit more time to be magic. I put this together real quick based on my old normal regular CJ routine where I just pulled stuff out of the back pouches. There's a larger piece in the works. If you're working on the same stuff would love to have a skype jam or something. Thanks for the feedback it was thoughtful and constructive

There's loads of great resources around for learning contact juggling. The best are [multiball contact] by Andrew Batchelor, he was my teacher (http://www.ministryofmanipulation.com/book/) Also Ryan Mellors did a great video series called 5 days of multiball lastly I made a thing called Introduction to Contact Juggling for Magicains https://www.murphysmagic.com/product.aspx?id=57442 There's a great DVD called In Isolation as well but it's out of print

Here's some stuff I came up with combining contact juggling and magic. This video is from about 18 years ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfS35dqaNfA

Matt, thanks for showing that!
It was pretty interesting.
Where have you ended up?
Are you still Contact Juggling?
Which direction did you wander?

Stephen, thanks for your advice.,..
and offer!
Actually, I have your download, from Murphy's(!).
It's my 'push'.,..🙂
I have my routine together,
,..I'm polishing,
right now.
I'll let 'cha know when it's baked!

rollin' with the drops,
gallagher

I haven't been performing professionally for the last year or so, but for a while I had my own regular show going on up here and I was a hit with a lot of corporate and private parties, but Alaska is actually a kind of small marketplace and the work is pretty seasonal unless you bust your butt looking for work. I'm still at it though. I went into magic as well, doing some pretty advanced sleight of hand. Mostly close-up work. I've created some effects and new moves but I haven't published anything other than my magnum opus "The Visual Encyclopedia of Contact Juggling" a four volume DVD instructional video set. It's out of print and it's probably not going to be in print again. I have a few sets left though. I've been considering including a description for the 4 ball flyaway move I came up with that got left out of the videos for anyone that buys my remaining sets. It's very advanced but quite a cool pattern.
I've been considering releasing descriptions of all the stuff I've held tight, including a description of "The World's Hardest Card Trick" which can only be done by someone with pretty advanced skills in both card magic and contact juggling. It's literally a one handed location of the four aces while contact juggling at the same time. There's lots of flourishes and juggling back and forth of the deck and the ball.

I probably would have made the trek to the Vegas scene if it weren't for a shoulder injury I sustained about a year after making the DVDs that put me out of performing for about a year or so.

I still do a lot of closeup magic and always finish my act with a contact juggling routine. But I'll probably never go full time again due to illness and old injuries.

(Interesting story: I did a show literally an hour after being in a car accident. My card routine went off without a hitch, including my spectator shuffled blindfolded Sam the Bellhop routine, but my contact juggling routine was pretty poor. Single ball stuff was good, but my hands weren't steady enough from the accident to pull off a lot of the palm spinning that I do and I dropped terribly)