Pins, knives, and torches: Meet this Okanagan juggler

If you’ve ever strolled through the Kelowna Farmers Market, chances are you may have witnessed an amazing spectacle of juggling skills performed by none other than Evan Johaneson - known professionally as Evan the Juggler.

Known for being a comedic juggler, Johaneson's origin story dates to a circus camp where he collaborated with a local gymnastics group.

Inspired by the experience, he created his own circus called Mojom Circus.

While the rest of his team has moved on, Johaneson maintained and improved his skillset and now has become a self-employed entertainer.

“I started juggling professionally by just going on the street with a hat out. And it's a very amazing way to learn how to juggle and how to perform,” he told Kelowna10.

“I have done some cruise ship contracts, which are an absolute blast. You do ensemble circus shows with a bunch of different amazing artists, we've got aerialists, hulahoopers, contortionists, the entire circus. So, you do a couple of shows a night and the rest you get to travel the world at the same time.”

He said juggling provides constant discipline and focus and can be done with very few items.

“You can either get professional juggling balls or just grab some oranges and start juggling. So, it's very easy to start doing,” he said. “It's just challenging enough that it keeps you entertained for a long time. Because once you finish one thing, you can always add another ball.”

Beyond mastering the art of juggling traditional items like bowling pins, balls, and rings, Johaneson has elevated his skill set to include some truly remarkable and daring stunts.

“The most intense one I have done is riding the five-foot-tall unicycle with juggling torches,” he said. “Those ones, I can't perform live because of insurance reasons, but I do the knives in person. It's very fun.”

Watch the video as Evan the Juggler provides some helpful tips to help newcomers get acquainted with juggling.