organizers:
Rob Thorburn (JAM) and Fenfire

teachers:
Antti Suniala (Rubber Heart Duo, Finland)
Arashi (Sangre del Sol, USA)
Nick Woolsey (playpoi, Canada)
Rob Thorburn (JAM, UK)
Sebastian Berger (Fenfire, Austria)
Markus Liszt (Fenfire, Austria)
Meghan Pike (MCP, UK)
Laura Egginton (JAM, UK)
Ros Vitkovitch (JAM, UK)


location:

1250 square metres for indoor training & workshops
1250 square metres for outdoor training and fire-playground

workshops:

* Poi
Scales of poi 1 & 2 - Nick Woolsey
Poi rythms and counting beats - Nick Woolsey
Dance with poi - Arashi
3-dimensional spinning - Arashi
Contact poi - Laura Eggington
Anti-spin - Rob Thorburn
Negative space - Rob Thorburn
Partner poi

* Staff
Basic throws - Antti Suniala
Advanced throws - Antti Suniala
Double staff passing - Antti Suniala & Sebastian Berger
Body throws - Sebastian Berger
Triple Staff Throws - Sebastian Berger
Fishtails - Sebastian Berger
Contact basics - Markus Liszt
Advanced contact - Meghan Pike
Obligatory doubles (technical spinning) - Meghan Pike
Tricks tricks tricks - Meghan Pike

* Performance
Rolling around on the floor - Ros Vitkovitch
Performance games - Ros Vitkovitch & Laura Eggington
Chance - Ros Vitkovitch
Routine building - Rob Thorburn & Ros Vitkovitch

* Other

Meteor - Markus Liszt
Yoga for Spinning - Arashi
Physiotherapy for spinning
Cross handling and multi staff isolation

The new UberEvents website can now be found at
www.uberevents.org

videos & pics

report / kaskade

In early August a juggling convention took place in Vienna quite unlike the majority of events that dominate the pages of this magazine; a juggling convention at which relatively little throwing occurred and the one figure doggedly training five balls looked distinctly out of place. Über Europe was the fourth in a series of master-class workshops that have taken place around the world in the last year and a half, specializing in the field of spinning juggling, specifically poi, fire staff and meteor. But unlike most spinning conventions, Über Europe’s focus was not on dancing with fire but on individual development with a chosen prop, both technical and performative alike.

The event, organized by Viennese fire group Fenfire and the British group JAM, brought together almost eighty spinning jugglers, mostly Europeans although representatives from North America and Australia were also present, to interact and share tricks, but most importantly to learn. The three days of intensive workshops that structured the bulk of the event were taught by some of the world’s best spinning jugglers and explored experimental new techniques and ways of performing poi, staff and meteor. For example, Rob Thorburn (JAM), the Scottish ‘Über-creator’, taught the experimental poi styles of negative space and anti-spin, while fellow JAM group members Laura Eggington and Ros Vitkovitch demonstrated contact-poi and explored new methods for developing and performing routines. Also present was the Scottish Meghan Pike (te POOKa), teaching mind-bendingly complex contact staff, Antti Suniala (The Amazing Rubberheart Duo) from Finland, demonstrating advanced staff throwing, Canadian Nick Woolsey (PlayPoi), who explained training methods for developing complete freedom of movement whilst performing, and the American Arashi (Sangra del Sol), who baffled people with his three-dimensional spinning and incomprehensible terminology. Finally, Fenfire’s Sebastian Berger and Markus Liszt gave workshops in advanced techniques such as triple staff (yes, real juggling) and meteor.

This is not to suggest that poncing with fire did not take place, it did in its plentitude. Eighty skilled performers, weaned on a diet of late night fire playing, were always going to take the opportunity to show off to their peers, but it was poncing of a more stylish, technical, and generally more interesting form. In particular the public fire show, performed by the teachers, the Austrian fire troupe Tirasaru, and the Swiss-German duo Sista Firewire and Firesnake, and combined a fabulously diverse range of acts including high technique, tight choreographies, avant-garde fire performance and hilarious comedy routines. Similarly, the all-spinning juggle-jam on the final night gave attendees the opportunity to demonstrate their hardest, strangest, or most ridiculous tricks, and revealed a high level of technique and experimentation among the crowd.

Inevitably such an intensive event left many people exhausted by the end of each day, so the late night partying was not as hardcore as at less structured events. Nevertheless, the atmosphere and energy was extremely positive and productive and the 24-hour training hall was frequently used well into the night. For many it was a unique opportunity to learn from and train with some of the celebrity poi and staff players, and most took full use of that opportunity, training long, hard, and enthusiastically.
On Monday morning, as the workshop came to a close, eighty jugglers trudged away from the site with smiles on their faces and sparks of inspiration in their eyes. All left tired but happy, having learnt enough to keep them busy for months, and eagerly awaiting Über Paris in the new year.

feedback:

"It was great to work with Fenfire. They did a throughly professional job, worked tirelessly, inspired everyone, and still somehow had energy to teach and perform. Amazing!"
Rob Thorburn

"Well I finally have a moment to acknowledge this amazing piece of time that was created. Truly Ûbereurope has affected me in ways that I will feel for many moons. I met people that I feel have walked with me all along. When you feel so much magick with so many people... Ûbercrew is all i can say. I think in five years there will be marriages, troupes formed, inspirations gathered, maybe even a school or new kind of art form evolving... who knows, the sky is the limit. especially with all the people who were there. Again, thank you so much to the organizers, again and again..."
Arashi

Uber Paris coming soon, visit www.uberevents.org for more information