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SIXTH FORM student Fabio Giuseppe Cantoni has discovered the perfect way to beat the stress of examinations ... juggling sticks!
The 17-year-old St Christopher's School pupil from Budaiya first tried his hand at the art in his family hometown in Italy after seeing a cousin perform at a gathering.
"Every summer my cousin showed me tricks with the sticks. He then gifted me with my own five years ago and I have been practising ever since.
"The juggling is especially useful as a stress reliever before exams as the rhythmic repetitions clear the mind," said Fabio.
To an onlooker, Fabio's juggling seems like an effortless manipulation of two hand held sticks with the third dancing in the air but in reality it has taken the student hours of practise and infinite patience to master the sticks.
"It's like poetry," he explained. "You can make your own tricks as you perform and coupled with music it makes a great act."
Fabio's performance is riveting to say the least. Balance and movement play an important role in his juggling routine and coupled with imagination and concentration it makes for a fascinating show.
One trick builds into another with fluid, rhythmic movements. Two of the sticks are covered with rubber and a longer one in cloth and the key element that comes to play is friction. Although Fabio's juggling sticks are from Italy anyone with three pieces of stick, a tennis racquet grip and a piece of cloth can make them at home.
Fabio has entertained children at Alia Centre for Early Intervention and those at St Christopher's Infant School carnival and is a juggling sensation at dinner parties.
