Shawn Li | Contributing Photographer

One year ago, in the greenroom of Edison Theater, then-junior Grant Kaplan and then-first-year Synoma Perea were approached by an exasperated stage manager and handed an unlabeled black binder and a banner that read “Juggling Club.” The binder came in a tattered bag made of duct tape. Despite modest appearances, what lay inside was a time capsule of the origins of Jugglefest.

Before that moment, Jugglefest had been a thing of the past, a distant memory of the WashU Juggling Club, then known as the National Prestigious Society of Collegiate Jugglers (NPSCJ). Post-pandemic, the juggling club’s annual events consisted only of learn-to-juggle nights and a Lunar New Year Festival act. However, when Kaplan and Perea were handed this binder, they uncovered the very thing that would bring Jugglefest back to life.

Seventeen years ago, long before many of their current members learned to waddle, much less juggle, the binder had been filled with notes, letters, and instructions written by Thom Wall, WashU alum and one of the original founders of Jugglefest. The binder told the story of a club that once helped put St. Louis on the juggling map.

In the early 2000s, a handful of students and community members started meeting on campus to toss clubs, rings, and balls in whatever open space they could find. Those informal gatherings grew into a festival, and for 10 years, Jugglefest wasn’t just a student event, but a hub for the broader St. Louis juggling community, linking campus with circus performers, hobbyists, and alumni who had carried their love of the art form far beyond the University. The festival started in 2006 with 40-50 people across the Midwest, and at its peak in 2010, 250 people attended. However, during the pandemic, the festival quietly disappeared. The old banner and binder sat forgotten somewhere backstage. Until this year. 

“After we were given the binder, we were reading through it, and at one point, we looked at each other and immediately thought, ‘We have to bring this back,’” Perea said. 

Rebuilding the festival wasn’t just about uncovering old documents, though that binder offered a tangible link to the past. It was also about deciding that a tradition could be reimagined and carried forward. For Kaplan and Perea, that meant stepping into leadership roles they’d never had and piecing together a festival that hadn’t existed in years. 

For Kaplan, the idea of Jugglefest came to life this summer at the International Jugglers’ Association (IJA) Festival in Indiana.

“It was really IJA that started all this,” Kaplan said, expressing how his conversations with Wall and Wall’s partner, Benjamin Domask-Ruh, inspired him to reach out to local alumni and juggling professionals from all over. “If it hadn’t been for [them], I wouldn’t have had the guts to blindly reach out to people.”

For Wall and Jim Hendricks, the co-founders of Jugglefest, the prospect of revitalizing the festival brought feelings of excitement. 

“When Grant … approached me at this year’s IJA festival about restarting the event, I was delighted,” Wall wrote in a comment to Student Life. “There is such a long history of juggling and circus … in St. Louis, it just seems right to see it come back.” 

Hendricks echoed Wall’s sentiments, adding that the revival of the festival brought an entire community back to life.

“I was excited … a jolt of energy was injected into our juggling community,” Hendricks wrote.

The binder served as an important document for Kaplan and Perea as they planned the festival. Wall had documented how to run meetings, structure workshops, and organize the annual showcase. His careful notes had become a “how-to” manual for the club. 

“It was amazing foresight that Thom cared enough and took the time to document key juggling club artifacts,” Hendricks wrote. “When Grant and Synoma [discovered] it, it seemed as if it was inspirational and resonated deeply with them. It was gratifying to experience that they, too, held the deep interest and appreciation of the writings and had interest [in hosting] the festival.” 

The alumni’s enthusiasm was immediate. Once Kaplan mentioned bringing the festival back, Wall offered to perform for free. Longtime community members reached out, excited to help revive something they once cherished. 

Rachel Benitez-Borrego | Staff Photographer

By the time the festival weekend arrived, the Women’s Building was filled with the distinct sound of juggling: the click of clubs, thudding of dropped hoops, the low hum of conversation. Workshops ran for hours, covering everything from prop art to face balancing, hoop tricks, and close-up magic. Although Kaplan described parts of the festival as stressful, he reflected on moments when he was able to take a step back and savor the sense of community he was working to foster. 

“At one point during open juggling, I zoned out and looked around, and everyone was just having fun, juggling with people they hadn’t been together with in years,” Kaplan said. “And I realized, this is because of us! We really turned this into something special, which was nice to think about.” 

The revival of Jugglefest wasn’t just about performance; it was also about connection. 

“Through [Jugglefest] I realized there is really a community that knows and loves and respects this kind of thing,” Kaplan said. For both Kaplan and Perea, talking to people at the festival — especially local attendees — was one of the most rewarding parts of the weekend.

For Wall and Hendricks, it was an opportunity to reflect on their legacy. 

“It was a joy to help [Grant and Perea],” Wall wrote. “Festivals are a reunion — the kind of thing that keeps a larger community afloat. … I’m thrilled that St. Louis is back on the map as a place for all of us to meet up and celebrate the art.”

Seventeen years after a handful of students and jugglers gathered on campus to create a group that would eventually evolve into a full-fledged festival, Jugglefest returned not as a recreation of the past, but as a continuation of it. Kaplan and Perea carried the legacy forward, not by repeating it exactly as it was, but by creating something new that honored what came before. 

“We all like something that’s kinda ridiculous at heart,” Kaplan said, “but we’re all so passionate about it.” 

To see photos and videos from this year’s Jugglefest, check out @washujuggling on Instagram.