a circus art; the ability to toss up and catch several objects (no less than three) in a certain rhythm.
Juggling was practiced in China, Japan, and ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. During the Middle Ages, juggling acts were performed by wandering actors.
In the modern circus juggling is often tied in with acrobatics, tightrope walking, animal training, and clowning. Variations of juggling are performed on the ground (in the pit), on horseback, on ladders, or on the wire. Juggling with great weights is known as force juggling. Jugglers act solo, in twos, and in groups. Many juggling acts are dramatized. E. Rastelli, the great 20th-century juggler who performed in the Rus-sian circus, created complicated tricks and had a great influence on the development of the juggling style. Performers who have been especially successful in the modern Soviet circus include A. N. and V. N. Kiss, the Aberts, G. T. Petrovskii, N. A. Shirai, K. M. Nikol’skii, and the equestrian juggler N. L. Ol’khovnikov.