Want To Juggle? St. Louisan Thom Wall Says It’s About ‘Cultivating A Relationship’
St. Louis Public Radio | By Lara Hamdan
Published August 31, 2020 at 4:13 PM CDT
Thom Wall is among the world’s most notable jugglers — and now he’s able to offer his tips and tricks to enthusiasts of all levels. On Monday, he released his latest book: “Juggling: What It Is and How to Do It.”
His travels near and far with the Cirque du Soleil inspired this literary endeavor. He would teach juggling tricks to the ushers and popcorn vendors, figuring out what works best when explaining contemporary juggling techniques.
“A lot of people say, ‘Oh, I could never learn how to juggle. I just don’t have the coordination.’ … That’s absolutely not true. The coordination [is] the skill that you’re improving when you decide that you want to learn how to juggle,” Wall said.
“It really is about cultivating a relationship between a person and an object. And that’s what it is just from the get-go.”
Wall describes the book, years in the making, as something he knows his childhood self would appreciate and learn from. The book is offered via Modern Vaudeville Press, which Wall also founded, and can be found on jugglingbook.com.
On Monday’s St. Louis on the Air, Wall joined host Sarah Fenske to talk about the book — and about the adventures his extensive juggling career has led him on.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by Sarah Fenske and produced by Alex Heuer, Emily Woodbury, Evie Hemphill and Lara Hamdan. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
