Kansas City Juggling Club hosts 2023 juggling festival October 6-8

Kansas City Juggling Club // courtesy Nick Civitello

The Kansas City Juggling Club partners with Wyandotte County Parks and Rec to host the 2023 KC Juggling Festival from October 6-8. On Friday and Saturday at the Joe E. Amayo Augustine Community Center, guests  can learn to juggle, watch juggling competitions, and learn other cirque skills like aerial silks and hula hoop. On Sunday, juggling takes place outside at Wyandotte County Park. The event welcomes all jugglers, new and experienced, to participate. 

Founder of KCJC Nick Civitello organizes the 14 annual festival in a convention format. The festival provides beginner juggling workshops and also hosts juggling performance shows in the evening. For other juggling adjacent skills, the festival provides yo-yo and acro yoga workshops. To combine cirque-related talents, member of KCJC Alani Waugh describes juggling as “skilled object manipulation.” 

“Our philosophy is that all of those things fall under the realm of juggling,” says Civitello. “It’s under the same umbrella of that fun silliness, challenging activity.”

Though juggling is an entertaining pastime, it can be intimidating for those just starting. Jugglers must be persistent with their skill and have self-motivation until the task clicks. KCJC unites a juggling community to help encourage healthy goals simply for enjoyment. Jugglers feel accomplished when they finally reach that “aha” moment. 

“The people that end up sticking with it are the people that view it as a personal challenge,” says Waugh. “So though it may not be any kind of competition with other people, it’s about of setting goals for yourself.”

KJJC absorbs new members into the juggling world. While Civitello appreciates the familial aspect of getting to know others through a shared interest, Waugh likes the extreme mentality. Jugglers don’t easily give up, and instead of only watching challenging performances for entertainment, they are quick to give anything a try. Regional juggling festivals and events introduce participants to a larger community and other cirque related tricks. 

“The community is just a big group of open minded people that like unique things,” says Waugh. “Every time you’re around somebody, there’s always something new to learn, constantly.”

At the event, experienced jugglers compete in combat or endurance juggling. Combat jugglers must remain the last person standing and play offense to prevent the opponent from catching their club. Endurance jugglers focus on their own performance to see how long contestants keep up their stamina. Other games include volleyball juggling, where a different colored club acts as the volleyball in game rotation, and juggling with quarters. The quarter juggler winner keeps all the coins. 

“Juggling is a much greater mental challenge than is a physical challenge,” says Civitello. “With every new task you do, your brain goes haywire for a minute, and then you you work it out add it to your repertoire.”

As a high school teacher, Civitello wants to create a world full of jugglers. However, his mission doesn’t only include teaching others the skill, but establishing connections across the KC area. 

“Our mission redefines what it means to be a juggler where it’s not just about throwing and catching balls,” says Civitello. “It’s being engaged in life, being open to new experiences and challenging yourself to try new things.”

The 2023 KC Juggling Festival takes place from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. on Friday, 9 p.m. – 9.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Sunday. Additionally from 10 p.m. – 1 a.m. on Saturday, Governor Stumpy’s hosts the late night Renegade show. During the event, participants can win raffle prizes or enter the best trick contest to earn a cash prize. Festival admission is free, and KCJC welcomes donations to continue the annual celebration. Stay connected with KCJC and their juggling lessons Instagram and Facebook.