By Kyle Petersen

Straight from the wayback machine, Erich Brenn performs his plate spinning act on The Ed Sullivan Show. This is an example of a classic static pole plate spinning act. A static pole is fixed to a table or to a board, meaning the performer can leave the plate spinning while he or she does other things. It also allows to performer to get many plates spinning all at once.

The drama usually builds slowly, with the performer getting one or two plates spinning. The performer is then free to leave the plates spinning and perform other stunts. In this routine, Erich demonstrates a classic cup and spoon trick, as well as a cup and egg trick. Theoretically, any type of material can be used.  After completing various stunts, the performer then goes back to the plates, speeding up the original plates and getting additional plates spinning.

Each additional plate that Erich spins adds to the tension. The final payoff comes when Erich gets all the plates spinning on their poles, in addition to spinning a number of plates on the flat table surface below the poles. The visual effect is stunning. For a brief moment, the performer does nothing more than admire the spectacle that they have created. The only thing left is to clean up.