Luke Burrage
5:11 pm in jugglers by juggling.equipment
Name: Luke Burrage
Country: British, but live in Germany
Age: 29
Favorite prop: Clubs, due to passing and combat and backcrosses. But rings, due to how cool they are. But I have more ball juggling in my show than anything else.
Started Juggling: At the age of 11
Currently working on: A routine made up of squeeze catches with clubs.
Website: http://www.lukeburrage.com
Short Bio:
I’ve been juggling for 18 years, seriously for 13 years, quit my last “real” job six years ago, and have been making my living from juggling ever since.
Defining moment in my juggling history:Performing my 3 ball and video routine for the first time, and getting such a good reaction that I thought “Hmmm, maybe I could do this for a living.”
Favorite Cereal: Crunchy Nut Cornflake. Of course.
2 things you didnt know about me:
1. I have an identical twin brother.
2. I write science fiction novels, one of which you can download for free from my website.
If I werent a juggler, I would be: a movie director.
Time it took me to learn 5 balls: It depends on how you define “learn”, but I guess I started working on it in 1996 or 1997, and I beat Ben Beever at 5 ball endurance in the games at a convention in 2002.
Is juggling sport or art? It depends on the venue and the attitude of those taking part. I play a lot of combat, and that is 100% sport. As is Volleyclub. There is no subjective judging, nor does the aesthetics of the juggling count in any way towards winning or losing. At the other end I perform on stage all the time, and I always consider myself an artist. I did a whole 45 minute podcast on the issue, so it feels a bit strange summing up my thoughts in a single bullet point.
If I were a juggling equipment, I would be: One of Gatto’s props, so I wouldn’t be dropped very much.
Jugglers in my family: my twin brother can juggle, and makes it to various juggling conventions in the UK.
Juggling equipment that has not been invented yet: I’m working on it.
Famous juggler i’d love to pass with: For me a passing relationship is not merely a passing relationship. It has to develop over time, as you find the strengths and weaknesses of your partner, and become comfortable together. If I had the option of passing once with a great juggler, or pass every week with a beginner, but know we can improve together, I’d rather have the long term partnership. That said, Get The Shoe is my favorite passing act, so I’d love to pass with those guys. Thankfully I live in the same city, and have passed with Jochen and Florian quite a few times over the years. For some reason I’m as good at 10 clubs with Jochen as I am with 9 clubs with anyone else, and as good at 5 club takeouts with Florian on the first attempt than I am with Pola, with whom I’ve performed the same tricks for years.
after the invention of a time machine – what advice would you give to your younger self?
No advice, because finding your own way with juggling is one of the most exciting things. There are no rules. There is no set path. However, if you want to become a professional performer, you MUST perform as much as possible, at every opportunity. I did this, but it was more because I liked performing, rather than thinking it could be my career, but now I look back I see that everything I’ve done as a professional comes from that basis of trying stuff out on stage all the time.
