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The Late Night Cabaret on Saturday featured live music from the DeLuxe Vaudeville Orchestra with four of our own AJA members -- Rodger French, Toni Shifalo, Bruce Plott and Andy Ford. Tim Settimi was the master of ceremonies.
The Midnight Cabaret show featured several members of the Deluxe Vaudeville Orchestra, with Tennessee performer Tom Foolery sitting in on mandolin. The show started off with two songs by DVO Diva Janet Metzger, singing "Puttin' On The Ritz" and "You Only Live Twice" as the incredible Bambola. Tim Settimi MCed after performing his excellent skate work and signature "I'm OK" song. The Hamiltons, a husband and wife act, next performed their club stealing and passing act, enlivened by radically contrasting costumes. Pam Hamilton sported a radical jester outfit, while Warren was dressed in a very conservative grey shirt and monocolor tie. The act went off with exactly one drop. Atlantans Dan Howard and Whitney Kornegay next performed some hot salsa dancing. John Nations showed a six-ring pulldown and smooth 3,4, and 5- tennis racket juggling, all the while bantering with the crowd. Greg McMahon next performed a humorous handkerchief color change and the infamous throw-over-the-head vanishing trick with volunteer Jackie Erickson, who cooperated gamely in spite of knowing all too well what was happening.
The annual "Mouse" award went to Joyce Howard for her
excellent work on the Groundhog and AJA web pages. Matt Henry and Randy Cabral
as the "Trained Human Club" were up next, with some eery glow-ball
juggling and ramp-rolling on a dark stage. The second part of the act featured
comic and musical ball-bouncing on the tops of laminated wooden cylinders. These
are called "Cajones" in Latin Percussion circles according to Matt.
The finale of the show was "Jessie and James", another husband and
wife team, doing a strongly street-influenced act which started with a newspaper
cut with a whip (the wife wielding the whip) and concluded with very impressive
6-foot-unicycle clowning and a 6-club passing pattern on 6-foot unis.
The festival concluded at Thai One On restaurant. Fran Favorini learned that
they had managed not to put his name on the Many Peppers Plaque after a year. He
promised to come back next year to check again. Around 8 pm the party broke up
and everyone staggered on home or started on their long journeys out of state.
--Charles Shapiro
A yoyo trick and Rick holding a vintage 3rd annual Groundhog Day Jugglers Festival t-shirt
The games on Sunday afternoon included a 5-ball endurance contest and a game of Simon Says with club balancing.
John Nations and Jimmy Robertson led one of the workshops on Sunday.
Go back to page 1 (Saturday competition)
--Pictures by Andreas Dieberger and Joyce Howard
--Story by Charles Shapiro
Copyright 2003 Atlanta Jugglers Association
Web site by Joyce Howard