Is juggling considered a circus sport? In a short answer yes it is. But it is also used by entertainers, clowns and everyday people as well.
Below is a lot of answers to questions surrounding juggling being a sport and who juggles in the circus. With all answers revealed below.
Is juggling a circus sport?
You can see juggling being performed at a circus, but it is not only a circus sport.
Juggling is a skill learned by entertainers and is often performed as entertainment at parties, celebrations, and other special events.
Juggling did originate at fairs in the 17th and 18th centuries when people who practised it were able to showcase their talents for money.
It was in the 19th Century when juggling extended to other venues which required entertainment, including the circus.
This allowed more people to spectate and gave jugglers a secure place to perform with a guaranteed audience, which they would not have got when performing at fairs or on the street.
Traditional circus juggling is absolutely a sport, but it relies on the huge spectacle of daring stunts.
For example, sometimes circus juggling requires huge props for the juggler to throw and catch, making it a lot more extreme and dangerous. All this is done to excite and entertain the audience.
So, juggling is a circus sport, but it is also performed elsewhere.
Juggling is one of the main places you would expect to be able to go and watch juggling nowadays, though it is also a popular form of entertainment for parties and other events.
What Kind Of Sport Is Juggling?
Juggling is a single-person sport that is typically done for entertainment purposes.
Though it is more relegated to entertainment nowadays, juggling is also a sport because it takes a lot of practise and skill, as well as exercising the arms, improving posture, and increasing your focus.
Juggling can be done with almost anything. Usually, it is balls or batons, but larger props can be used, or more humorous props, such as fruits or vegetables.
It all depends on the venue that the juggling is being performed at. If juggling is being done at the circus then it will be a spectacular event, which may involve throwing large props, or setting the props on fire.
Juggling might not be an extreme sport, but using more dangerous props definitely elevates it to a life-threatening level.
Some experienced and advanced jugglers perform the sport with things like chainsaws, knives, and flaming torches. You have to be incredibly dedicated to the sport and have completed lots of training to be able to juggle so dangerously.
It can also be a competitive sport. Though it may seem strange to consider juggling competitive in the way that football and tennis are, there are also tournaments in which jugglers compete.
The World Juggling Federation is one example of an organization that promotes competitive juggling, and there is also the International Jugglers’ Association and the European Jugglers’ Association.
Who Juggles In The Circus?
Performers who juggle are typically called jugglers but at a circus, several different types of acts may juggle.
Clowns are sometimes jugglers because they are one of the main entertainment acts found at a circus and the craft has expanded a lot with what clowns are expected to do.
Clown juggling is usually more of a humorous performance, and they may juggle with food or other funny objects to amuse the audience.
Acrobats are other circus performers who may juggle because it adds to the sense of danger involved with their act.
A juggling clown would make the audience laugh, but a juggling acrobat would have them on the edge of their seats. Sometimes acrobats juggle while stood on top of huge props, or while completing other stunts.