Yellowknife (June 06/03) - While travelling in Australia, Shawn Taylor learned a couple of new tricks.

And now, four years and a few thousand kilometres later, the 24-year-old is perfecting and adapting these tricks.

Taylor, who arrived in Yellowknife last December, picked up the juggling bug during his travels, and he's been hooked ever since.

"When I was travelling it just seemed like the thing to do. I picked up a hitchhiker and he taught me how to do it.

"And then an Israeli couple taught me to fire dance," he said during a phone conversation recently.

Since then Taylor has performed in Alberta, British Columbia, California, Washington, Oregon and now the Northwest Territories.

He's juggled in cafes, theatres and festivals, including the Vancouver Folk Festival.

He was juggling cigar boxes and crystal balls and performing with a Chinese yo-yo in front of Javaroma during a volunteer recruitment night for Folk on the Rocks.

He also has a fire show, but didn't perform it because it was too light.

"I have to perform my fire show when it's like midnight, when it's dark enough" he said.

For his fire show, Taylor uses fire clubs, a fire staff and chains.

Taylor has had to work his way up from when he first contracted the juggling bug.

"I started with three then moved up. I'm working on six balls and four clubs right now," he said.

As for his fire show, he's gotten good but at a certain price.

"I've been burned a couple of times, one bad time on my back. But it's part of the learning process," he said.

Although fire looks impressive, Taylor says the hardest part of juggling is numbers.

"It's hard to juggle a lot of items. There is lots happening. You have to co-ordinate both sides of brain as you're dealing with three objects on both sides," he said, referring to juggling six balls.

Juggling, for Taylor, is just a hobby but one he takes pride in, and puts a lot of effort into.