Juggling 101: swords + torches and baby? (9 photos, video)

A new baby can be a handful for any parents, especially if the father and mother have to juggle more than diapers and early morning feedings.

If Jacob and Sophie McGrath (shown) know a thing or two about anything - the difficulty of finding balance would be it. 
But an infant daughter? That can make even sword juggling seem tame.

"One minute I'm throwing around machetes and the next I'm feeding our daughter," said Sophie, who stars in Dream State Circus with her husband Jacob. "I'm not sure which is more difficult."

For the last 14 years the couple from Australia has toured 38 countries showcasing their acrobatic, fire-based show.

The McGrath's are embarking on their first international tour since having their 15-month-old daughter, Tehya.

"With this profession you have to chase the festivals," said Jacob. "We travel all year living basically from our suitcase." 

Jacob and Sophie met over 15 years ago and in that time their show has progressed along with their relationship.

The husband and wife duo encourperate fire acrobatics, dancing and balancing feats into their act.

And while Tehya has been a welcome addition to their family circus, juggling a baby can be hard when you're trying avoid setting yourself on fire.

"It's been awesome having our daughter here, but thank goodness for our nanny," Sophie said.

Ole, the McGrath's nanny, looks after Tehya while her parents are performing.

Tehya is always close by and watches most of her parent's shows - even though she's not always the most interested audience member.

"She's just starting to watch our shows," said Sophie. "At this point she's actually pretty nonchalant about the whole thing."

"The last show we did she read books the whole time while we were juggling knives and fire," Jacob added.

The large crowd who showed up at Buskerfest on Friday evening was defiantly captivated by the McGrath's Dream State circus; which combines fire acrobatics and dancing. 

"We call it spontaneous combustion," said Jacob. "It really does entertain the eyes and ears."

Tomorrow afternoon they will be performing Fliptastic, their daytime comedy show, at 12:45 p.m. in front of the Windsor Park Hotel.

Donna Hopper, festival general manger, is banking on good weather this despite the gloomy forecast and hopes to draw over 7,000 people to the ninth edition of Buskerfest.

In addition to the six featured buskers, local artist Chrissy Pichette will be on site throughout the next few days capturing the spirit of Buskerfest on her canvas. 

"She's going to take the vibe and energy from the performers and crowd to create an original art piece," Hopper said.
Pichette's artwork will be auctioned off this weekend. 

For more details about Buskerfest visit www.buskerfest.ca