ContactJuggling.org

I've spent A LOT of time teaching juggling / manipulation for love (as much as anyone).

But the amateur juggling and manipulation scene is held back by it's lack of valuing good teaching - free teaching will only get a scene far.
The availability of a surplus of mediocre free teaching, prevents the rise of excellent teaching, which ultimately retards the growth of the scene.
When I worked this out, I started to seek out the best teachers and to pay for workshops -amazing workshops with Maksim, Gandini, Sing and others - they were worth every penny.
And a bazillion more dance workshops, too.

If we want professional teaching at an event, should the teacher be rewarded for delivering it?
Yes

I propose a simple solution, introduce a culture which allows teachers to hat at the end of the workshop.
"If you enjoyed my workshop, please consider giving me enough money to buy a coffee." (£1-2 )
"only pay what you can afford, and if you really can't afford money, Please come say thank you/barter/ food / coffee/ massage/ etc "
Quality teaching will then be rewarded. and everyone is happy.
Positive outcome, this will generate excellent and entertaining teaching.


Regards
Drew

I'm not fishing for me to be paid, I have a solid salary (as a professional teacher), I don't have time to do BJC this year.

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Contact Juggling @ Ministry of Manipulation blog

for the amount I have learned from volunteer teachers at juggling festivals, I would certainly give a workshop for free at BJC.

if I could be in England, I would!
No England for me tho.

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www.dawndreams.ca
www.thebuskingproject.com
https://twitter.com/#!/dawn_dreams

I wrote in this without be aware how many pages were on it... sry folks!

Interesting thoughts tho, Drew. I would still argue that these workshops allow many people who have never been shown anything else than what was in their mom's basement a whole slew of stuff to work towards.

My own work is a case in point. Had I never learned from you guys, I would not be capable of what I am now... of course, I still have a far cry from the Maxim's and Pich's of the world...

being undervalued is certainly a problem. Maybe it is because BJC is so huge that you are having this argument. But I personally have spent the last 4 years putting enormous amounts of volunteer time into juggling festivals (running them!) to make sure they were available to all people. This kept our costs low & allowed people who would not have the chance to see world class acts (MCP) come through our city otherwise. We did not take a wage. Our community in Vancouver has grown exponentially for this. I have also grown because of it. I have placed many things in my life aside to benefit many communities of the world, voluntarily, and it pays the whole community (but never "pays" me).

I agree, teachers need to be valued, but I believe the festivals may be the wrong venue to be having this argument, because they benefit the masses (rather than the pro's... if you want to take your juggling a step farther, these options are available to you through other means.)

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www.dawndreams.ca
www.thebuskingproject.com
https://twitter.com/#!/dawn_dreams

it should be noted, on the other hand, that at the end of this SPARK adventure I will be penniless. I will not have a flight home and or any money to do so. I will need to street perform to find my way back, or go crawling to mommy to help. I think it is worth it... but Yunno... maybe not.

_________________
www.dawndreams.ca
www.thebuskingproject.com
https://twitter.com/#!/dawn_dreams

Yeah, that's one reason I steered clear of SPARK... like "yo, guys, I'm already plugged in with a three-week tour that, at the very least, pays my way while I'm on it, despite not giving me any money." One problem is that we're coming from a culture that doesn't really believe in compensating artists for their time and effort while still having a clear appreciation of artists' talents... I mean, look at America's Got Talent, a show that's seeing massive success in revolutionizing the vaudeville format while completely exploiting artists who are often spending hundreds just to make it to auditions.

It seems like there's a pretty massive gray area between "merciless exploitation of teachers" and "prohibitive costs for attendees," considering that Humboldt is able to throw a festival with free food, lodging, and registration yet Hoop Camp is also filling up while charging hundreds of dollars a ticket for exorbitant services. In the case of BJC, I wonder why there are caterers getting hired while they're sending folks to beg for instructors on dotorg...

It's like wait, why don't we pay the instructors and ask the caterers to come feed everyone for free? And if that's unreasonable, then what's reasonable about asking people who've put in the thousands of hours in the studio to come teach for a bid of zero - or less than zero? And again, I'm talking as a person who's gotta ask that of instructors all the time... I really really like Drew's suggestion of making it socially acceptable for instructors to pass a hat... but then again, what's the good in passing a hat among a bunch of broke-ass jugglers? I know that it would keep a lot of people from attending workshops for fear of getting hit up for dough, which does defeat the purpose of throwing workshops in the first place... then again, how different is that from charging admittance to a convention?

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http://www.gravitydefiance.net

I just have to say that I strongly disagree with this characterisation. I wasn't sent, and I'm not begging.

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"Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done! There is mischief to have. There are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all."

I am in between shows right now and have more to say. But I don't feel like the refugees are exploiting me in this situation. Yunno, just sayin.

I think the hat is interesting as an idea... But I will think about it more.

_________________
www.dawndreams.ca
www.thebuskingproject.com
https://twitter.com/#!/dawn_dreams

This is true, sorry for the improper tone. But those of us in the festival scene know what I'm talking about, and it's not a far cry from the situation at many/most conventions, whether they're poor conventions or rich conventions. With the exception of hooping, but hoopers are loaded.

_________________
http://www.gravitydefiance.net

I think Drew's hit the nail on the head pretty much...

I propose adding a little pic to the bottom of the workshop notice, like a hat icon or something, to indicate that there will be a hat, and then the instructor says at the beginning of the workshop, completely without embarrassment: "Just so everyone knows, there'll be a hat down at the end, if you fancy it, drop something in" or some such. I perform on the street, and the hatlines I use are all low pressure like this - I'm not saying it's a good idea to launch into a massive circle show pitch "I've entertained you for 45 mins, I think that's worth X amount..."

But I think this makes a lot of sense, because it doesn't put pressure on anyone, but allows people to show their appreciation, if they want and are able to. As Drew says, it doesn't have to be money... If someone teaches well and has clearly put a lot of effort into constructing their workshop (structured thinking, printed handouts maybe...etcetc), and they're taking time out of their convention to teach (particularly at an expensive, or a very short, convention), then I for one would be happy to donate. On the other hand, if you are financially able to give away your workshops as Drew indicates he feels/has felt comfortable doing, that is also awesome.

I will probably teach a massage workshop at the BJC, just like I did last year and also at the last two EJCs. I am not a teacher, and I do not want to ask for money. Still, I've taught for around 12 hours over four of my favourite conventions - it would be nice if sometime, someone offered to give me a massage See what I mean? (NB, it hasn't happened yet...)

love and kisses,

oli

I wonder about the difference between professional training and a juggling festival as well. Drew states that the teaching keeps amateurs at a certain level, but I would argue otherwise. Teaching shares skills between people, and people who are amateur stay that way because they are not interested in going to the professional level courses taught and putting the time in that it takes to get good. How sharing could harm a community is something I just don't see.

The hooping community seems to have money. I have heard the argument it is because many hoopers are over 30 and have already started banking money in their lives. They pay each other and it pays itself. Jugglers are often young men who are in school who do not have money or started their careers yet. The fact that most of them do not have the money to attend festivals, travel and or get professional level training (circus school et al) is nearly a given. Does this mean we should block access to skill shares?

To play devils advocate, you may want to consider the repercussions for paying workshop teachers and/or passing a hat. The payment of the teachers results in higher festival prices, therefore limiting attendance to the festival itself (rendering it more professional perhaps, but for fewer people i.e. not the public). Hatting has an inherent guilt built into it, and all street performers use it. I am interested in the idea to hat as a workshop teacher, in theory, but in practice you have to consider what that does to the workshop. Will it create better workshop teachers? (maybe, but so does simply practicing you skill at teaching your craft) Does it create a strange dynamic? Will it prohibit people from attending the workshop?

Often juggling festivals can help people who would like to teach workshops set up and gather students if they are interested in taking a day before or after the festival to teach a more pro intensive day. Stephan Sings festival workshops, for example, are only a small taste of his knowledge. I bet that these have increased his attendance at his intensives after people have seen his work.

As someone who works for festivals for free for much of the year,(meetings, hours spent arguing about venues, performers, teachers and every little detail of the systems that are put in place? I can't help but wonder if you believe I should profit from the coordination of the festival as well?
Is it really cool to profit from a community you are trying to build? Doesn't that make your community into an enterprise? Is it ok to volunteer hundreds of hours of work a year into a festival and have someone who donates an hour (and knowledge they have gained fro their own study) get paid?

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www.dawndreams.ca
www.thebuskingproject.com
https://twitter.com/#!/dawn_dreams

If you're too busy selling your coordination skills to a moneyed corporation to actually coordinate something you give a f**k about, then yes, it is very cool to profit from a community you're trying to build. Otherwise, you burn out from working a day job while also donating all your time to something that pays you back in love and kisses while you're starving and can't afford a doctor's appointment.

Organizers should get paid; teachers should get paid; we should live in a world where jugglers are rockstars and Rupert Murdoch goes hungry too, but hey.

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http://www.gravitydefiance.net

I don't entirely agree with you. I don't enjoy seeing dollar signs with everyone I meet, wondering what exchange that can be had. It feels sleezy. I live in Canada where doc appts are free, so maybe that is a privilege I can't fathom going without. I live off my earnings as a performer, travel the world, etc. I am broke, sure, but I will be totally fine (and can busk where I am).

My reasons for organizing a festival is to feel the sense of community. We all benefit from community, and I don't believe that capital and community mix well together.....

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www.dawndreams.ca
www.thebuskingproject.com
https://twitter.com/#!/dawn_dreams

I agree with Dawn, workshops and organizing festivals are for the sense of community, now about the last thing i also agree that capital and community do not mix well. but i think that resources and community does. even if the resource is money.

But i also think that is use full to have lessons and classes and they should be payed for by the participants. but i think that it is better to have these in training weeks or weekends like the ministry sessions in Berlin. or taking classes at a juggling/circus school. so that there is a better and more personal guidance.

still workshops at festivals are great for introducing new skills and way of thinking to people. To help each other on moves/tricks. Guide people on how they can practice by themselves at home. And let people experience the same things with a different perspective.

I know one thing for sure, if there weren't workshops at festivals i would suck a lot more at juggling as i am today.

Conversely, introducing money to events like Firedrums has allowed it the ability to bring some really top-quality performers to the event, and I don't feel like it's done damage to the community (besides making it slightly more exclusive, but $150 is what you'd pay for smaller workshops with all those instructors anyway). I think, to paraphrase Drew, that adding some $ to an event doesn't just provide the ability to support small performers - it provides the ability to get the occasional Anthony Gatto or whomever.

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http://www.gravitydefiance.net

The lindy hop/ swing dance community has 2 kinds of events.
Dance Camps and Exchanges.

Dance Camp - lots of teaching, every one gets paid, (organsers and teachers), some people work for a free ticket, I go to these to get better at dancing, can be fun and challenging, are more expensive (£150-200).

Exchange - organised for the community, no one gets paid (except the bands, who are not part of the community), possibly the organising team will get a free ticket or t-shirt, not for profit, great fun and cheap. (£25-50).

Both are good.

_________________
Contact Juggling @ Ministry of Manipulation blog