Plate spinning
Encyclopedia
Plate (dishware)
A plate is a broad, concave, but mainly flat vessel on which food can be served. A plate can also be used for ceremonial or decorative purposes.-Materials:...
, bowls
Bowl (vessel)
A bowl is a common open-top container used in many cultures to serve food, and is also used for drinking and storing other items. They are typically small and shallow, although some, such as punch bowls and salad bowls, are larger and often intended to serve many people.Bowls have existed for...
and other flat objects on poles, without them falling off. Plate spinning relies on the gyroscopic
Gyroscope
A gyroscope is a device for measuring or maintaining orientation, based on the principles of angular momentum. In essence, a mechanical gyroscope is a spinning wheel or disk whose axle is free to take any orientation...
effect, in the same way a top
Top
A top is a toy that can be spun on an axis, balancing on a point. This motion is produced in the most simple forms of top by twirling the stem using the fingers. More sophisticated tops are spun by by holding the axis firmly while pulling a string or twisting a stick or pushing an auger as shown...
stays upright while spinning. Spinning plates are sometimes gimmicked, to help keep the plates on the poles.
Many Chinese acrobatic troupes feature plate spinning usually combined with contortion or acrobatic skills. These usually feature performers holding several plates in each hand spinning on sticks.
Western plate spinning performers usually present comedy acts and typically feature one performer with an assistant, spinning multiple plates on sticks held vertically in stands.
Other forms of plate manipulation include plate waltzing, where plates are spun on their edges on a table top and plate juggling where plates are manipulated and thrown by the performers. Some performers have combined several of these elements into restaurant or kitchen themed acts.
The unbroken world record for spinning multiple plates, verified as a Guinness World Record is held by David Spathaky, assisted by Debbie Woolley, who spun 108 plates simultaneously in Bangkok, Thailand on television in 1996. He had previously held and broken his own record four times since 1986.
In popular culture
The tune "Sabre DanceSabre Dance
"The Sabre Dance" is a movement in the final act of the ballet Gayane , written by Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian's and completed in 1942. It evokes a whirling war dance in an Armenian dance, where the dancers display their skill with sabres. Its middle section incorporates an Armenian folk...
" is often played in the background. This was a popular act on The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
and other American variety and talent shows during the early years of American television. Tom Griswold
Tom Griswold
Thomas Bruce "Tom" Griswold co-hosts the radio show The Bob & Tom Show together with Bob Kevoian, Kristi Lee, and Chick McGee. This comedy-based early morning program is among the highest rated in American radio and has been nationally syndicated since 1995...
, co-host of The Bob & Tom Show
The Bob & Tom Show
The Bob & Tom Show is a syndicated US radio program established by Bob Kevoian and Tom Griswold at radio station WFBQ in Indianapolis, Indiana, March 7, 1983, and syndicated nationally since January 6, 1995....
, a syndicated American comedy radio program, occasionally says he wishes he could see a plate spinner on TV again and wants to book one for his staff's annual Christmas party, which Chick McGee
Chick McGee
Charles Hayes is a radio personality who appears on The Bob & Tom Show. The name "Chick McGee" is a pseudonym connected with the Jack McGee character on The Incredible Hulk.-Education:...
cites as further evidence that Griswold is out of touch with contemporary entertainment. In an episode of the Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, at the Springfield Retirement Castle talent show, one participant does a similar act, but uses the dentures
Dentures
Dentures are prosthetic devices constructed to replace missing teeth, and which are supported by surrounding soft and hard tissues of the oral cavity. Conventional dentures are removable, however there are many different denture designs, some which rely on bonding or clasping onto teeth or dental...
of several of the residents. Plate spinning was often seen in HBO's prison drama Oz
Oz (TV series)
Oz is an American television drama series created by Tom Fontana, who also wrote or co-wrote all of the series' 56 episodes . It was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by premium cable network HBO. Oz premiered on July 12, 1997 and ran for six seasons...
, where an unnamed prisoner would often be seen spinning a book on the tip of a pen.
On British television the popular game show The Generation Game
The Generation Game
The Generation Game was a British gameshow produced by the BBC in which four teams of two competed to win prizes...
would regularly feature a plate spinner demonstrating his skills, then inviting the contestants to have a go - with smashing results. During the 1960s & 1970s Wolfgang Bartchelli popularised plate spinning in Europe and regularly appeared on television. During the 1980s onwards plate spinner Andrew Van Buren
Andrew Van Buren
Andrew Van Buren is a British performer who specialises in magic, large scale illusions, juggling and plate spinning.-Biography:Master Illusionist Andrew Van Buren spent his childhood touring the world with his parents' Van Buren and Greta’s magic and illusion show. He learned his trade in...
regularly appeared and still can be seen presenting this format on game shows, on television and performing around the world. It was during the 1980's that Van Buren coined the "multi tasking" reference as "Plate Spinning" when working at corporate events, a phrase you hear in everyday use now.