Champion Canadian juggler brings circus arts to Morinville

“Being able to perform and make people laugh makes a good day,” said Canadian juggling champion Bob Cates.

Speaking from his Cambridge, Ontario home, the family entertainer is packing his bags for a short western tour that includes a stop at Morinville Community Cultural Centre on Sunday, March 5.

Cates’ Comedy in Motion 75-minute show is a skilful blend of fast-paced acrobatics that combines clean comedy, gravity-defying juggling, wild unicycling, black light laser manipulation and a dash of magic.

And the award-winning juggler has even mastered plate spinning, the arcane art of making china defy gravity. But unlike most comedy acts that whirl half a dozen or so plates, Cates tackles close to a jaw-dropping 20.

He grew up as the son of a pig farmer running an operation of 1,000 hogs just north of Sarnia. Despite the hard fieldwork, caring for pigs and gardening, Cates said, “I liked being a country boy. I had a mini wheeler and lots of freedom.”

In Grade 13, he picked up juggling as a hobby. After high school Cates took a year of bible college followed by a stint at McMaster University to receive a Bachelor of Commerce. But in between taking classes, Cates started a juggling club.

“I discovered a worldwide network. To me it was amazing you could use a fun thing to perform and make a living.”

His switch from the banking world into the riskier world of self-employment occurred while watching a performance at a busker festival.

“I watched a guy do a 45-minute show and after the show people dropped about $100 in a dish. I was making about $3.15 an hour, and I said ‘OK, I’m game to do that.’”

A self-motivated entertainer unafraid to hustle for gigs, Cates has spent 22 years under the professional spotlight making people laugh at schools, fairs, festivals, corporate shows and worldwide cruise ship tours.

As a winter cruise ship headliner, he’s travelled to numerous ports throughout the Mediterranean, the Baltic, Hawaii, Alaska, the Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Australia, New Zealand and Asia.

He describes jumping into the world of entertainment as “good for an introvert like me to be thrown into the deep end.”

It’s easy to fall into a trap of thinking all comedians and entertainers are lively, amusing individuals that are always the centre of attention at any gathering. Cates’ self-admitted description of being an introvert was surprising.

“Some people are always the life of the party. I need two days to have alone for every day in public.”

Although Cates attributes several reasons for his ongoing success, one stands out in his mind.

“This is a show for all ages. You could have a seven-year old enjoy it as much as an 87-year-old. You could call it Jerry Seinfeld crossed with Cirque du Soleil,” he chuckles adding, “I have a weird, wacky sense of humour. To give you an example I like “Weird Al” Yankovic.

Cates, who received his start at the Edmonton Street Performers Festival, looks forward to returning to the area and performing his high-energy show. This time around he’s bringing a new roadie – his seven-year-old son Hudson.