Haggis and Charlie

Haggis and Charlie are a comedy juggling act formed in 1984 by Haggis McLeod and Charlie Dancey. They learned their skills together at the Walcot Village Hall juggling workshop in Bath, England. Their first performance was a busking show that took place on the waterfront of Bristol Docks. Haggis and Charlie performed regularly on the streets of Bath in their early years together. They have been seen almost every year at Glastonbury Festival and became something of a tradition at the Winchester Hat Fair.

Haggis and Charlie at the 2009 Glastonbury Festival.

They were also involved in a successful world record attempt on 26 June 1994 when 826 people, juggling at least three objects each, kept 2,478 objects in the air, at Glastonbury Festival.[1]

For a brief time the duo became a trio, when Pippa Tee joined the act, which was renamed Haggis & Chips (short for Haggis & Charlie & Pippa).

Haggis and Charlie are seen less frequently now, though they still, occasionally, make an appearance. Their publicity used to mention that, "it's not so much the dazzling display of devil-may-care dexterity - it's more the complete clash of personalities!"[2]

McLeod was married to Arabella Churchill, who assisted in founding and continuing the Glastonbury Festival.[3] Dancey is the author of a number of juggling and trick books including:

• Charlie Dancey's Encyclopædia of Ball Juggling. Butterfingers: Bath, England 1994. ISBN 1-898591-13-X.
• Compendium of Club Juggling. Butterfingers. Bath, England 1995 ISBN 978 1898 591139.
• Every Trick In The Book, The Squeeze Press, Glastonbury 2010. ISBN 978-1906069-07-0.

See also

• British Juggling Convention
• List of jugglers

References

1. Guinness Book of Records. Guinness Publishing Ltd. 1997. p. 82. ISBN 0-85112-694-4.
2. Dancey, Charlie (1995). Charlie Dancey's Compendium of Club Juggling, p.238. Butterfingers. ISBN 9781898591146.
3. Eavis, Michael (2007). "Obituaries, Arabella Churchill: Key figure in Glastonbury Festival", Independent.co.UK.