About
Jay Gilligan is an internationally renowned juggler whose work has played a pivotal role in shaping contemporary juggling. His early career was marked by exceptional technical achievements, including two Guinness World Records, an unprecedented number of gold medals at the International Jugglers’ Association, and a command performance for Queen Elizabeth II, establishing him as a singular voice in the field at a young age.
Gilligan has performed in 38 countries, touring his solo work internationally and collaborating with many of the world’s leading contemporary circus and theater companies, including Spiegelworld, Cirque du Soleil, Les Sept Doigts de la Main, Cirkus Cirkör, the Gandini Juggling Project, Cie Jérôme Thomas, and Cie Ea Eo. He was also a featured performer in the Las Vegas production Absinthe. His original creative work, such as Stories About Gravity, The Perfect Mistake, and REFLEX, are presented internationally and explore the intersection of juggling, sound, object design, and spatial composition.
Alongside his performance and creation work, Gilligan is a highly respected director and educator. He has served as juggling director for numerous companies and has taught extensively at Stockholm University of the Arts since 2000, in addition to guest teaching at major circus schools across Europe and North America.