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The Art of Flow is a free public resource for creators, teachers, and supporters of the arts who are interested in flow arts and fire-dancing. It is creativity, flow arts, and fire dancing podcast that is available for mainstream distribution and provides inspiration for artists and conversations on the creative process. The podcast is available for download and listening via the following Platforms: iTunes, Spotify, SoundCloud, Google Podcasts, and here!

Explore how to connect to your body, mind, and soul by hearing conversations with movement artists, flow artists, and fire dancers and trying out their suggestions yourself.

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A big thanks to current supporters: 

BJ Burg - Co-founder of Seattle Flow Arts Collective

Duncan Roy Greenwood- Founder of Flow DNA 

Krystin Railing - Founder of The Performer's Guide

Lane Lillquist - Co-Founder of In-Cloud Counsel

Jillian Morris

Alex D.

Daniel S.

This podcast is also made possible by the movement artists who spare their time and energy to chat with us to share thoughts on life, love, learning, and flow. Without them, their experiences, and stories none of this would be possible. 

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  1. All Episodes
  2. Contact Ball

Contact Ball

Mar 20, 2019

In this episode, Richard Hartnell discusses the history of contact ball, how he got into juggling, his involvement in the Bellingham Circus Guild, his thoughts on artivsm and learning.

Richard is among the most distinguished American contact jugglers. He both teaches and performs along the West Coast of the United States and overseas at Indie stage to huge festivals. In 2008, he co-founded the Bellingham Circus Guild in Washington state, before moving to the Vulcan lofts, a collective of artists in San Fancisco East Bay in 2009. Today, he continues to perform on stages large and small and teach contact juggling to those interested in learning the magic of manipulation. Find him online at:

Instagram - @contactballer

Facebook –/Velveteen

Professional Website- gravitydefiance.net

1:20 – Flow Life as a Barista- How Coffee Making Connects to Flow

3:50- “You get to this place where you are pulling the perfect shot, and that’s like the God Shot.” – On the Art of Coffee

4:00 – The Flow Sauce – A Conversation with Coffee Mentor Eric about Flow State

5:30 – Discovery of the Term Flow and DJ Immersion

6:00 – DJing as a Dissociative Practice and Communal Experiences

7:00- First Contact Juggling Book Obtained at SciFi Conference- The Beginning of an Object Manipulation Journey

8:50- Richard’s First Music Festival with Dream Science Circus Folks and Their Amazing Act

11:00 - Realizes Importance of Movement Flow After Watching Firedancers

14:50 – Beginning of Juggling Clubs and a Sense of Belonging

16:00 – About U&I Circus Production, Co-Op Troupes, and Various Community Models

18:00- The Beginning of Vaudvillingham Monthly Community Open Stage Shows to Raise Rent for Shared Circus Space

20:00- Memories of First Performance on Stage

21:00 – Circus Model Recommendations and Reflections

27:00 –“What needs to get done in a circus troupe other than performance?!”

29:00- Arrival to the Bay and first visit to the Vulcan

30:00– The Importance of Cross Training- A story about Greg Maldonado

31:00 – The Work of Michael Moschen and Contact Ball History

32:00- “You need ceremony when introducing a prop! Why are we doing what we do?”

36:00 – The History of Juggling Converges with Richard’s Flow Story

39:00- Street Performing in Oregon and the Bay Area

40:00 – Street Performers are Protected by Law

41:00 – Richard’s First Performance at Fisherman’s Wharf

49:00- What We Do in the States for Money and How Richard “Retired” at 26

52:00- The Perks of Street Performance – “People are going to say the same things to you, and now you get to respond!”

54:00 – What’s Your Patter?

55:00- Richard’s Artistic Inspirations: The Cosmos

56:00- Philisophical Life Musings on Artivism

60:00 – The Greatest Compliment Received from a Shows Was. . .

1:01:00 -Why Study NeuroScience and Math

1:10:00- Various Learning Curves of Props

1:12:00 – But what is Michael Moschen really like? The End of a Chapter of Juggling History

Thanks for listening! If you liked the modified show-notes with timecodes and subjects, please let me know. As always, your feedback is always welcome.

 The Art of Flow is a podcast all about fire artists, flow arts, fostering community, and optimizing learning.

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