CROSSROADSCROSSROA DS Language StudioÊs Newsletter July,
July , 201
20 1 3
Juggling is a form of exercise andentertainment based on throwing andcatching objects. The most commonly
known type is “toss juggling”. Jugglers
often use the term “props” to refer to theobjects they juggle. The most common props
are balls, clubs and rings. Some jugglers
use more dramatic objects such as bottles,
knives, fire torches or even chainsaws.
The earliest record of juggling is shownin a picture on a panel in the tomb of anunknown prince in ancient Egypt wherefemale dancers and acrobats are seen to
be throwing balls. Juggling has also
been recorded in many early cultures
including Chinese, Indian, Greek,Roman, Norse, Aztec and Polynesiancivilizations.
In Europe, juggling was considered to be
an acceptable diversion until the decline of
the Roman Empire where it fell out offavour. Throughout the Middle Ages, mosttexts were written by religious clerics whofrowned upon 'gleeman’ (people whojuggle) accusing them of base morals or ofpracticing witchcraft. As a result, jugglers
in this era would only perform inmarketplaces, streets, fairs, or drinking
houses (“Pubs”). They would perform
short, humorous and bawdy acts and thenpass a hat or bag around the audience fortips.
The first modern circus opened in 1768
and employed jugglers to perform acts
along with horse and clown acts. As
variety halls and music theatres became
more popular in the 19th century, jugglers
were employed to fill the intermissions
between music acts, performing in front of
the curtain while sets were changed.

In the early to mid-20th century, variety,music, theatre and vaudeville shows
decreased in popularity due to competition
frommovie theatres, radio and televisionand sothe popularity of juggling suffered.
Music and comedy transferred very easily
to radio but juggling could not. In theearly years of television, when varietystyle programming was popular,
jugglers were often featured. But
Henson Recording Studios, LA, USA
developing a new act for eachnew show, week after week,
was more difficult for jugglers thanother types of entertainers.
In the early 1950s the IJA(International Juggling Association)
began as a club for performing
jugglers. Later, World Juggling
Day was created as an annual day ofrecognition for the hobby, with the intent toteach people how to juggle, to promotejuggling or for jugglers to get together andcelebrate. Traditionally, it is held on a
Saturday in mid July.
Since the 1980s, a juggling culture hasdeveloped and is rapidly on the rise. The
scene revolves around local clubs andorganizations, special events, shows andother activities. In recent years there has
also been a growing
focus on juggling
competitions.

Article by Matthew

NET LESSONS: Are you too busy to come toCROSSROADS?....Try our lessons on the Internet!

SITE OF THE MONTH:
Would you like to learn how to juggle? Take a look here:
http://learnhowtojuggle.info/

Joshua Says: The hot summer has arrived and everybody issweating after only a few steps outside in the heat. I think thisis turning out to be the hottest summer I have experienced
since coming to Japan so many years ago. I can tell I’m notalone in thinking this. Many of our students are feeling theheat too. I just hope it doesn’t tire you too much!

Junko Says: “Jetstar Airlines”, the low cost carrier, started a service
to Matsuyama last month. Although, at this stage, there is only one
return flight a day between Matsuyama and Narita, they offer a oneway ticket for only 4,590 yen. This is almost the same price as going toTakamatsu or Kochi by JR! The next time you go to Tokyo, why not
try this service and tell us what you think about it?

Matthew Says: There are a few hobbies that I have neglected
over the winter and spring and so am starting them up again,
these are juggling, swimming and piano. It’s tricky playing pianoin a swimming pool while juggling but some seem to enjoy theshow. I need a new swimming hat though because those dirty oldyellow ones at the community centre are minging.

Dylan Says: The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpoolin 1960. Their best-known lineup, consisting of John Lennon, PaulMcCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, became the greatest andmost influential act of the rock era, introducing more innovations intopopular music than any other rock band of the 20th century.

Stephanie Dit: Bonjour à tous ! Je suis Stéphanie. Je suis française etje viens de m’installer à Matsuyama pour une année afin de découvrir leJapon et votre très belle culture ! Je serais ravie de vous faire découvrir
mon pays et partager avec vous quelques bonnes recettes françaises !
Peut-être nous croiserons nous sur le marché du samedi soir cet été !

Keep an eye open for dates and other details
coming soon. See you there!!

HereÊs an interesting family of pets. The two smallest membersare called Dill and Dull. Holding the beam they are performing
on is Pursy, and Wink is supporting everyone while riding a bike. Wink used
to be the only household pet in the Wilkinson family, but one day Mr. Wilkinson noticed
some mice running around the house. He tried everything to
get rid of them, but nothing worked. So, he decided to get acat to chase them away and this is when Pursy was invited tojoin the Wilkinson family. But Pursy has a rather gentle
nature and instead of doing his job, he became friends withDill and Dull, the mice. It wasnÊt long before Wink joined
the gang and they started to play around together every day,getting into all kinds of mischief. Then, Mr. Wilkinson noticed
something odd about the way they were playing. They seemed
to be „practicing‰ something. As he watched he became amazedat the things they could do. Pretty soon they were performing
all sorts of tricks (see photo). This developed into a
professional act and Mr. Wilkinson now takes then all overthe country to perform their tricks. But the funny thing is,
Mr. Wilkinson claims he has never trained them! He says
they learnt it all entirely by themselves!!
Don’t forget… Our SPECIAL 1+1 Campaign offer! Up to 50% off!!
See our notice board, or ask Junko in our office, for the details.