Bravo Juggling presents: Stick Heroes / 2018. 06.
Casper created and performed a unique devilstick act with a fun and detailed story and character.
Name: Casper Klop
Age: 20
Nationality: Ducth
Place of living: Delft
Job: Aerospace Engineering student
How many years have you been juggling with devilsticks:
11 years
The number of devilsticks you have:
Pfoo, many broken ones haha. 35, I think(?).
Your juggling achievements (prize / performance / trick that you are most proud of / etc.): Next to becoming 1st in the Devilstick category of the Dutch Juggling Championships, I'm most proud of the act "The Artist" I have created. I'm really happy with the result, and really enjoyed performing it.
Other types of juggling equipment you play with:
Bit of clubs and plate spinning, but I mainly do 3 ball body throws next to devilsticking.
Please write some sentences of yourself in general:
I have a passion for creating, which results both in a love of learning new juggling patterns and a fascination for engineering. I have juggled for 11 years by now, and more recently started to enjoy performing as well. In the past year, I have been really busy with a rocketry project, resulting in very little juggling practice. As the project is finished in August, I'm looking forward to getting into juggling again.
Why did you choose this juggling tool and where did you first meet with it?
I started devilsticking after a crafting project in primary school, where we made our own sticks. As the only one in the group I continued, and got into contact with other devilstickers in The Netherlands. Soon I was invited to conventions, and after attending one I was sold! What I especially like about devilsticking is that it's still so undiscovered (especially 10 years ago!), and that there are still so many new possibilities.
Where did you learn to play with devilsticks?
Mainly on my own looking at Youtube videos.
Which trick did you find the most difficult to learn?
I'm still not happy with my level of tricks with 2 devilsticks. I guess my multitasking skills are subpar, haha.
What are you practicing at the moments?
Way too little! I have been very busy studying, and am planning to get back into devilsticking after the summer break.
What is the most difficult trick you can do?
The 4 handstick fountain while doing a tictoc is definitely the most difficult trick I've done.
What is the most difficult trick that you would like to learn?
3 flowerstick cascade!
Do you play with firestick?
Rarely. I have done some performances with glowsticks though, which were really fun.
How and where do you practice?
I practice in my garden, by first going through my routines, and then trying to create variations on the tricks I know. Very often I also improvise, and whenever something interesting pops up during my improvisation, I try to isolate it and work it out further.
Do you perform with devilsticks? How do you create your show?
Yes, I have performed my act The Artist. I struggled for a long time to find a theme and create a story for my act, until I started from one simple concept: "the flowerstick is a paintbrush". Everything fell in place, and I worked out the concept in more detail. I had just watched the movie The Artist, and created my persona around the main character. It's really interesting to see how small things such as watching a movie can suddenly spark your creativity, and make it possible to produce such an act.
Do you teach juggling?
Yes, I have been a teacher in a youth circus.
How is juggling life in the Netherlands? Are devilsticks popular?
Juggling life is great, with many conventions full of dedicated and skilled jugglers. Devilstickers are a minority though, and that only became worse in recent years... There are jugglers who play around with devilsticks, but only a few really pursue and train with them.
What is your goal related to devilsticks? What is a challenge for you?
My previous goal was to create an act in which I would integrate difficult tricks with a character, a storyline and music. Now, my goal is to get back into juggling after a long break, and rediscover my possibilities.
How do you imagine yourself when you are old? Will you still juggle?
I really hope so. The juggling world has given me a lot, and I hope to stay part of it for a long time.
What do you advise to beginner/advanced devilstick players?
Focus on the aspects of devilsticking you enjoy. If you love performing, do that, if you like doing tricks on your own, focus on that. Devilsticking can be pretty frustrating at times, and it really doesn't help to keep pushing yourself when it's not working out. When it's getting frustrating for a period, take a break. Focus on something else (preferably something creative or sporty) for a while, and you will notice your motivation has received a boost when you start devilsticking again.