Havana (juggling)

Havana (also known as Turn Left in Havana ) is a club-passing pattern for four jugglers. The pattern is a type of rotating feed, much like a feed weave. Feeders do a 2-count ("everies") while feedees do a 6-count. All passes are right hand tramline.

There is always one feeder, but the feeder changes throughout. When feeding, jugglers begin passing to feedee B and make five passes in a windshield-wiper fashion (to positions B-C-D-C-B, although the jugglers in those positions will be B-C-D-B-C).

After the first pass, feedees B and C begin to switch places in a clockwise motion. After the places have been exchanged and the feeder has given their 4th pass, B takes one additional step forward and turns counter-clockwise (left), such that D will be the new feeder.

Once A finishes their 5th pass, D immediately begins their feed cycle starting on their left. A has no break between A's 5th pass and D's first pass.

Some find that practicing a 4-person feed weave with a single feeder is a good warm up for this pattern.

Origin and naming

The "Havana" pattern was known under that name in California by 2011, ^[1] and is collected in Aidan Burns' "New Highgate Collection" under the name "Havana feed" by 2014. ^[2]

The pattern was recorded by The Passing Zone in 2019 under the name "Havana Feed." ^[3]

In Havana, the position in the center of the triangle is "Havana," and each juggler will turn 120 degrees left after their first pass from that position; thus "turn left at Havana" is a mnemonic for that part of the pattern, ^[2] and quickly came to be used as a metonym for the pattern itself.

The name of the "Albuquerque" variation refers to a running gag in Merrie Melodies cartoons in which Bugs Bunny often ends up in outlandish locations by failing to "take a left turn at Albuquerque." Versions of the gag appear in at least Herr Meets Hare (1943), ^[4] Frigid Hare (1949), and Bully for Bugs (1953).

Variations

• Phoenix (or Turn Right in Phoenix ) is the same as Havana but the feeder starts with a pass to the rightmost feedee.
• Albuquerque (or Turn Right at Albuquerque) is the same as Havana, but mirrored, so all passes are with your left hands.

References

1. Personal recollection.^{[ better source needed ]}
2. Aidan Burns (May 2014). "Havana feed". The New Highgate Collection (PDF). p. 205.
3. The Passing Zone (2019-07-18). "Havana" feed. Vimeo.
4. Big Cartoon DataBase (2013-01-10). "Herr Meets Hare". Archived from the original on 2013-02-15.