JUGGLING ENTERTAINMENT
Juggling Jeremiah Johnston
brings lights and dance to
his craft
LED lit clubs, hoops and batons
light up the Les Schwab stage
Jeremiah Johnston brings
artistic athleticism to juggling
— one of the many talented per-
formers gracing the Les Schwab
stage at the Umatilla County
Fair.
A juggler for 20 years, Johnston
said he stretches beyond the
usual joke telling and juggling
tricks.
“I specialize in sharing juggling
as an athletic art form,” he said.
Not only does he incorporate
strength and agility into his act,
Johnston said he specializes in
juggling lighted props he uses
in his act at night, creating daz-
18 | Umatilla County Fair 2019
zling light trails with his LED-lit
clubs, yoyos, hoops and batons.
A high school athlete, John-
ston said he got into juggling
as a 12-year-old who found his
father’s juggling equipment in
an attic trunk.
“There were juggling balls and
juggling clubs and a set of fi re
torches,” Johnson said. “I knew
I wanted to learn to juggle the
fi re torches!”
A student at Humboldt State
University, juggling became
Johnston’s new sport when he
joined the Humboldt Circus
Club. Intent on combining is
Soon he was incorporating jug- course of study with his love of
gling into everything he did.
juggling he said he majored in
“I played soccer and I’d try and dance, the genesis of bringing
juggle the ball, I juggled base- artistic athleticism to his craft.
balls and I played hacky sack,” “Juggling can be like dancing
he said.
with a prop,” he said.
Fourteen years into a perfor-
mance career, Johnston said
he really loves teaching people
about juggling, especially chil-
dren.
“Kids are prime for learning
to juggle and interact with me
a lot,” Johnston said. “A lot of
people come up and think it’s so
hard, but it’s just throwing and
catching things — that’s all it
is.”
East Oregonian/Hermiston Herald