Wikinews interviews noted juggler for International Jugglers Day
Friday, April 26, 2024
April 18 was International Jugglers Day. To commemorate this day, Wikinews caught up with professional juggler Spencer Androli and talked to him about his history with this art and to discuss an accolade recently bestowed on him via YouTube where he was named top juggler on a top-40 list.
Image: Soulkeeper.
((Wikinews
)) Hey Spencer, hope you are doing well! I do a bit of reporting at Wikinews I've been involved there for many years. So, this will become part of an interview with you. Tell me about this Number 1 juggler on a list of 40 stuff.
- Spencer Androli: Thank you so much for reaching out and creating an article on my accomplishments. About the number 1 spot:
Luke Burrage is the organizer of the Top 40 Jugglers of the Year Chart. It is a chart in the juggling community that has been running since 2003. Concluding each year, in December, jugglers in the community vote for their top 10 favorite jugglers of the year in the comment section of a YouTube video that Luke posts to announce that the voting is open. All the votes get counted up by Luke, creating the Top 40 most voted of the jugglers mentioned in those comments.
I managed to become the most voted for juggler by the juggling community of this past year 2023. This list is truly an honor to have been ranked #1 on because it shows the juggling community's appreciation for the juggling I do. This is for sure a popularity contest but it's definitely something I've worked hard for my whole juggling career. My younger self wouldn't have expected this due to so many jugglers being insanely good but only the most recognized receives this spot. To be recognized this way for what I do is truly unreal.
This is definitely one of my proudest accomplishments up to date and may be the biggest accomplishments a person in the online juggling community can receive.
Hopefully this has given you enough information. Feel free to ask any questions you need for clarification.
((WN)) So, it's a designation, 'by jugglers for jugglers' so speak?
- SA: Yes the Top 40 is by jugglers and for jugglers mainly.
((WN)) How old were you when you started juggling?
- SA: I was eight years old when I started juggling.
((WN)) So, last year was pretty exciting for you! Tell me about the whole circus thing you became involved with.
- SA: The circus was quite an experience of all sorts. I hopped on the Flynn Creek Circus tour from June to October of 2023 which toured through Northern California and Oregon. I really enjoyed it! I was so happy to be finally showing what I’ve worked on for so many years, to people on stage on a consistent basis. I gave it my all on stage and had so much fun. There is something special about performing that I have come to love. I feel like I have the best job in the world because I am bringing genuine joy to people in all walks of life. What is unique about Flynn Creek Circus is that one of its main goals is to bring circus to people in the rural areas of California and Oregon. Based off of the audience responses, Flynn Creek definitely executes it well. Most of the people in these rural areas don’t see much of any live entertainment in their day to day life, so these shows were often a break from the norm. The shows feel really special because people love it and it often makes their year distracting them from the normal day to day. It was a physically taxing contract in which I learned so much about things like building a tent, towing a trailer, living in a mobile home, performing, and working hard. As my first circus contract, it really showed me how much I enjoy performing and bringing joy to others through my art of juggling.
((WN)) You did some performing for a while in the Tyler, Texas area, didn't you?
- SA: Yes, I did. I performed for a while doing gigs locally in Tyler whenever the opportunities presented themselves as well as surrounding areas like Shreveport, Dallas, Houston, etc. I also was a part of the juggling duo with my friend Paul Haygood known as the Spence and Paul Show that performed 45-60 minute educational and motivational juggling show in several schools as part of Young Audiences of East Texas, a non profit organization that strives to bring education through the arts to schools. We also took The Spence and Paul Show to Dickens on the Strand street festival in Galveston as well as a few other events that weren’t only schools.
Sources
- "International Jugglers Day – April 18, 2024" — National Today, April 24, 2024 (date of access)
- Luke Burrage. "The Top 40 Jugglers of 2023" — YouTube, January 22, 2024
- Luke Burrage. "The Top 40 Jugglers of 2023 - Voting Closed!!!" — YouTube, December 12, 2023
- Jessica T. Payne. "Tyler juggling duo set to perform The Spence and Paul Show this weekend" — Tyler Morning Telegraph, April 28, 2023
