Plate spinning looks like magic.
The juggler’s art of plate spinning originated in China during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC – 9 AD) and then migrated into Western circus acts around the 1300s. The first instructional book on plate spinning was published in 1901. The first plastic, purpose-built spinning plate on the market was the Whirely Whirler, which came out in 1958.
Here are some important instructions for learning how to spin plates:
- Don’t use just any plates. Juggle/spinning plates have specific characteristics.
- Start with one plate and two hands (one on stick, one on plate).
- Then learn how to use one hand to hold the stick and spin the plate without needing your other hand.
- Then move to spinning multiple plates. Rhythm and focus are critical for multuple plates.
- You get 20-30 seconds per spin per plate, so plan accordingly.
Go for it. You’re gonna drop them a lot. Watch more videos. Try slight variations on the techniques. It’ll take time and effort.
But even though it looks like magic, it’s not magic. Anybody, including you, will get it with enough practice.
One thing is true, however, about spinning plates — the juggler always has to know which one is about to stop and fall. He has two options for a plate that’s coming to the end of its 20-30 second spin cycle: spin it again, or let it fall.
You’re a juggler. You just gotta figure out which plates to keep spinning and which to let go.
