Juggler Craig Quat at the Smithsonian Folk LIfe Festival

You could say that Craig Quat is just a juggler but he is so much more. I saw him juggling which he was amazing at but I heard him talk as well and that was truly amazing. He's using juggling to help people with cognitive challenges.

Here's more from his profile at the Smithsonian site:

Craig Quat is the founder of QUAT PROPS and inventor of the Juggle Board. He researches alternative understandings of juggling and explores new ways of expanding the accessibility of juggling through creation of innovative adaptive equipment. Quat’s work not only challenges the traditional conventions of juggling, but also the social perceptions of disabilities.

Quat is originally from New Jersey, but now lives and works in Cardiff, Wales, where he develops new types of juggling props specifically designed for people with physical, cognitive, and emotional challenges. Many of these props will be demonstrated for the first time in the United States at the 2017 Folklife Festival.

Here's part of an article from Autism Highway about Craig:

He is by far one of the most amazing people to ever cross our path here on the AutismHWY!  Craig Quat and his uber creative company Quat Props is a game changer for people that like to challenge themselves, build skills and have fun while they are doing it. Craig’s talent and love of CIRCUS has become his life’s calling. It has catapulted him into the fantastic and creative purpose to make juggling accessable for ALL people. The importance of this work is easy to see as the mind/ body and central nervous system connections are truly the heart and soul of being human. Craig has found an amazing way to work the inroads of connection through his love of juggling and CIRCUS!

Craig and  partners actively teach people to organize their brains by juggling! At first this may seem a bit mind boggling yet, Craig clearly knows and demonstrates rapidly the immense value juggling has. Through the creation of his “Juggle board” and other engagingly fun exercises he utilizes the importance of focus, connection and rythym that will spill over into everyday tasking. Watching him work with varied individuals live at the 2016 ANCA World Autism Festival was truly fascinating and very moving. You could literally see him gage the inner thinking of each person he was “juggling” with. Through this rythmic creative patterning Craig stimulates quick rolling -turn taking actions which must occur sequentually, causing many brain connections to be made.

Really interesting ideas.

Wallenda Family Troop

Yes, they are still at it the Wallenda Family. And they were fantastic.

From at story in the Post:

If it seems like the Wallendas are everywhere these days — well, there are a lot of them by now. After nearly a century as a brand name, the acrobats in the family have split off into groups: Tino’s immediate family performs as the Wallenda Family Troupe, while his nephew Nik Wallenda and Nik’s aerialist wife, Erendira, have made names for themselves with their TV-friendly daredevil stunts. (Both have dangled by their teeth from trapezes hanging from helicopters, Nik 250 feet above a Missouri theme park and Erendira 300 feet above Niagara Falls in June.)

Nik’s act tends to veer from the family’s tightrope roots. But “I feel that there’s a place for everything,” his cousin Alida said. “There’s a place for the modern, there’s a place for the traditional.”

Even if the “traditional” carries an unusually high occupational hazard rate. Tino said he recognizes the constant potential for death but gives a shrug.

“The casualty rate of driving cars is much greater than tightrope walkers, and there’s lots of tightrope walkers,” he said. “You just have to be careful about what you do.”

The pictures don't exactly do justice to what they are able to accomplish.

More of the Wallenda Family Troop

More from the Post article:

“We do a lot of traveling eight to 10 months out of the year, so with a lot of people, it’s difficult to get up and go,” Aurelia said. “You pack a suitcase, you get in your trailer, you go to a hotel — that’s moving almost every day.” She brought her 1-year-old son, Marcus, to the festival.

Though she joked about Marcus joining the family business in a few years, it’s fair to assume that he’ll at least try it out. Alida’s three children — Ysabella Cortes, 15; Lucas Cortes, 7; and Tomas Cortes, 5 — joined the show on Thursday, and young Tomas even sat on his father’s shoulders as he walked the high wire.

The Sailor Circus at the Smithsonsian Folk Life Festival

What a great group of performers. I got to sit and watch them under the big top as they showed off their skills.

Here's more about them from the Smithsonian website:

Originating in 1949 as a high school gymnastics class, Sailor Circus Academy is America’s oldest continuously operating youth circus. Now part of the Circus Arts Conservatory, Sailor Circus has grown into a complete community-based circus school that offers expert comprehensive training in the circus arts. Through extremely rigorous interdisciplinary performing arts and psychomotor skills programs, students learn to excel in the circus arts in a safe, nurturing, and creative professional environment.

In the early 1950s, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus approved reference to Sailor Circus as “The Greatest ‘Little’ Show on Earth.” For more than six decades since, thousands of students have trained under the direction of many dedicated coaches and volunteers. They also continue to benefit from opportunities to work with legendary circus artists who make southwest Florida their home and still contribute to their community’s circus cultural heritage.

The growing success of Sailor Circus is reflected in the artistry represented in its seasonal full-house performance events, which are inspiring new demand for expanded instruction in the circus arts from the community at large—a vibrant example of the revival of interest in the circus arts in America today.

Here's a link to their Facebook page

Amazing Acrobatics

 Here's a great sequence from these acrobats.

Sailor Circus Roller Skating and More

 Just a little fun on roller skates.

Sailor Circus and the Man on the Hoop

This guy was fantastic. It was amazing what he could do with his body.

Smithsonian Folk Life Festival — Circus Arts

The entire Folk Life Festival was devoted to Circus Arts over the next days I'll be posting pictures I took on my two visits down there.

There was some really fun stuff to see too.

More about Circus Arts:

Circus arts have evolved over time to reflect changing social tastes and values, technological innovations, and performance styles. Immigrants from all over the world continue to contribute their creativity and skills, foods, languages, rituals, and other customs that enrich the circus arts. Across the country, emerging youth and social circuses and schools provide new opportunities for artistic expression.

Marking its fiftieth anniversary in 2017, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival will bring the rich history, mystique and diversity of circus arts to life on the National Mall. But visitors will see more than just a performance—we’ll take you behind the scenes to learn from generations of American circus families and contemporary visionaries who are keeping the circus arts alive and engaging.

Meet artists and coaches, costume designers, makeup artists, musicians, lighting and sound technicians, prop and tent designers, riggers, poster artists, wagon builders, cooks, and many others whose collective creative work brings the circus to life. Along with new students and celebrated masters, experience the many dimensions of circus arts through performances, demonstrations, and workshops under a big top tent and other colorful venues.

Aerialists and acrobats will demonstrate their gravity-defying disciplines, combining strength and skill with grace and daring. Equilibrists and object manipulators will share their tricks that date from ancient times. Clowns will demonstrate mesmerizing transformations, tapping into the human heart and spirit.

I went down on the opening day and saw these guys performing on the Mall. They were fantastic!

Smithsonian Folk Life Festival

I got down to this year's edition of the Folk Life Festival on Thursday. The themes this year were Giving Voice, Las Americas and Wales. For more information follow this link.

It seemed a little scaled back from previous years. It didn't take up as much space as it usually does. But it was as always very entertaining. Here are some pictures and a couple of video clips from my visit.

Music from Las Americas

Here are a couple of pictures from one of the groups I listened to. Also a video of another group. Both were great.

Welsh Musical Instruments

This guy talked about how in many cultures this type of music and musical instruments emerged. The basic unit was the flute like part of this instrument minus the bowl. It then morphed into all sorts of things with the addition of different parts to the original piece.

Spinning Wheel

This gives you an idea of what can be spun from the sheep in Wales.