Professor Confidence, a.k.a. Dave Finnigan, star of the superb Juggletime (reviewed in our December, 1991 issue) returns with a pair of new instructional juggling videos aimed at youngsters. Juggling Star, which picks up where Juggletime left off, teaches viewers how to juggle three and four balls or beanbags, using a wide variety of visual styles and music types in its 12 music videos. From clever tunes like "Just Throw For Pete's Sake" (which inspires viewers to take the plunge with that third ball) to the visual lunacy of the "Reverse Cascade Polka," in which kids wearing mini-basketball hoops attached to their foreheads learn the principles of overhead throws, Juggling Star maintains its sense of both clear instruction and zany fun throughout, culminating in the wonderfully satiric MTV heavy-metal parody "Breaking the Rules." Juggler's Jam, unfortunately, is a different toss altogether. The first half of this 12 music video presentation eschews the creative and diverse approach of its predecessors, often offering nothing more than a single, solid-color backdrop as the visual adjunct to the songs. Featuring the Gentleman Jugglers, a pair of outstanding professional performers, the first half concentrates on working with five-to-six balls and clubs with a partner. While the "music video" approach works very well for simple instruction, the complicated routines demonstrated on this video are more suited to a style which incorporates slow-motion, close-up camerawork with detailed voiceover narration. The second half of the program, while providing more creative music videos than the opening half, basically serves as a "catalog" for juggling paraphernalia: rings, cigar boxes, sticks, and the "diabolo." The music video for the "diabolo," however, is an ill-advised choice: set to the music of "Rock of Ages," the video features Finnigan and music writer/performer Joey Kline dressed in choir robes reading from hymnals. While I didn't find the treatment offensive, a lot of people would. On balance, I cannot recommend Juggler's Jam; Juggling Star, however, is highly recommended and an Editor's Choice. (Available from: Jugglebug, 7506J Olympic View Drive, Edmonds, WA 98020.)
Juggler's Jam; Juggling Star
(1992) 30 m. $14.95. Jugglebug. Public performance rights included. Color cover. Vol. 7, Issue 4
Juggler's Jam; Juggling Star
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