Meet Me

Click below to meet Michael Karas, creator of
 Juggling Insanity.

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Name - Michael Karas

Age - 22

Birthplace - Pittsburgh, PA

How many years have you been juggling? 5 years

If you could be any juggler in the world other than yourself who would it be and why?

I would probably be Viktor Kee. To have that much skill and to be able to experience Cirque du Soleil's magical environment every night would be a slice of heaven for me.

What are you personal juggling goals (short-term and long-term)?

My short-term goals right now include headrolls, getting 5 club cascade solid, and learning to juggle three clubs with a fourth balanced on my chin. My "numbers limits" are 7 balls, 5 rings, and 5 clubs. I am purposely not going to go any higher than these goals at the risk of sacrificing creativity and entering "the numbers zone."

How would you describe your juggling style?

I'm a master of three ball artistic juggling.  I can basically do every artistic 3b trick in the book.  I am constantly searching for new patterns. The videos on this site show my style.  I'm constantly looking for new ways to manipulate objects. However in performance I stray from stringing together long series of tricks. Instead I focus on making the juggling quality more dance-like and transitional where objects are in constant movement and can never totally be pinned down to a recognizable pattern. My clubs technique focuses on lots of trapping and lots of "spin-downsizing".  I am of the new movement to eliminate as much spin as possible.  In other words, 5 club singles are prettier than 5 club doubles. I am pretty technical with rings although I have experimented at large with artistic ring placement.  I am a supporter of the thick ring movement, thanks to Renegade.  Rings don't have to be painful.  If there were any other prop that I would like to be known for besides balls, clubs, and rings, it would be shaker cups which I'm currently working with a lot.

What would you like your contribution to be to the juggling community?

I want to be remembered as the man who successfully fused theater, dance, and juggling into a coherent harmony.

Any non-juggling hobbies?

Yes, acting basically consumes my life although I'm hoping it will turn into a career and not a hobby.  My hobbies include going to museums, trying to understand difficult math, listening to music of all kinds, video editing, and women.  I also attend theatre like it's my job - I see over fifty live productions a year.

Favorite trick - Romeo's Revenge

How did you first learn to juggle?

 I was in a production of A Musical Christmas Carol and one of the actors played a street vendor who walked through the streets juggling. That actor taught me the 3 ball cascade.

How often do you practice? On average, I try to put in an hour a day.  However, for me it's not practice.  It's procrastination.

Anything else that others may find interesting about you?

I love math and was even considering going to college for computer science at one point in my life. But then I realized that the thing I really wanted to do for a living was perform and I am currently at Point Park University studying acting.

Any final advice to jugglers?

Don't do everything - balls, rings, clubs, spinning plates, contact juggling, diabolo, cigar boxes, devil sticks. A lot of people take this road and they never move beyond average. Pick two or three props and focus solely on them - you'll thank yourself later on.  Learn everything you can and then run with it.  I literally spent one solid year soaking up every single 3 ball trick on the internet (and believe me there are tons). Then one day I realized that there wasn't a single new 3b trick on the net (at that time)that I hadn't seen or downloaded.  Since then I've worked on inventing original tricks for myself, which has really helped shape my unique style.

If you have a burning question that you would like answered, let me know at mikaras@msn.com