Thesis Chapter 2: Jugglers

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In the Middle Ages, jugglers were true "professionals" of the performing arts. Dance was an integral part of all their performances, and seems to have been the bonding and embellishment of all juggling acts. Heir to the histrionics of antiquity, the juggler is a multi-disciplinary artist with many specialties. He can do it all, and is in turn an animal showman, juggler, conjurer, acrobat, dancer, musician, dancing master or balancing act. He is also the "medieval" artist par excellence, since he is born and dies with the Middle Ages. In the art of this period, jugglers often appear alongside demons, monsters, mermaids or the donkey who, since he says masses, dances and plays the harp on church sculptures. Acrobatics were a feature of jugglers' and jugglesses' dances, and dancing with the arms and especially the fingers seemed to take pride of place. By the end of the Middle Ages, jugglers were on the wane, and it wasn't long before they gave way to new kinds of artists: minstrels for music, dancing masters and professional dancers for dance, gradually returning the acrobat to the street, with his tricks, acrobatics and animals.