CMU juggling and circus arts club perform at Mount Pleasant Summer Festivial
The Central Michigan University Juggling and Circus Arts Club got a chance to show off their unique skills at the 2013 Mount Pleasant Summer Festival at Island Park over the weekend.
"I love giving kids the opportunity to see the circus arts, especially the ones in middle school," club president Matthew Peplinski, a Brighton senior, said.
Peplinski founded the club a year and a half ago.
"One of my aims was to start a club that would survive after I graduate," Peplinski said. "That's why we are the circus arts club as opposed to just the juggling club."
Romeo graduate Jeff Kuhns, 28, graduated from CMU last spring. He has been a part of the CMU juggling and circus arts club for about one year. At one of the spotlight events at CMU last year, Kuhns went over to a table to see a club he was already in. The CMU juggling and circus arts club table was right next to that table, so he went to check it out.
"I was like. juggling, wow, what a wonderful and creative outlet," Kuhns said. "I went over to the table and met Matt. It has been a wonderful thing ever since."
Cotton-eye Joe by Kinky Friedman came on from a DJ tent nearby and Kuhns started break dancing while Peplinski juggled some balls behind him.
"When I heard Jeff could break dance, I was so amazed." Peplinski said.
At the festival, Peplinski and Kuhns began to teach some interested kids how to juggle.
"Focus on placing your throws because your hands will automatically catch (the balls)," Peplinski said.
Peplinski said he has taught a total of roughly 80 people to juggle at several Mount Pleasant events, including the summer festival and CMU's MainStage.
Mount Pleasant resident Thomas Maccan, 14, was one of the people that came over to learn to juggle.
"It's hard, but I get it," Maccan said.
Kuhns said the club focuses on fostering creativity.
"Being creative and constantly learning is great for your brain," Kuhns said. "It prevents brain loss and dementia. There have been a lot of studies on that."
It is good for your brain, Peplinski said.
"There has been a medical study that showed that juggling is the only known thing to increase the maps of your brain and the motor cortex," he said. "It actually increases in volume, and that's just for learning how to juggle"
