SkillCon showcases jugglers, martial artists and more — VIDEO

Jason Garfield ran a juggling convention for 10 years before he decided last year that herding cats was too easy and he wanted to throw lemurs, skinks, kinkajous and sugar gliders into the mix.

The result was SkillCon, which brought together several skill-based conventions under one roof including flair bartenders, cardistry and rock paper scissors. For the second annual SkillCon scheduled from Nov. 5-8, Garfield has scaled things back to eight to 12 skills and events. Even a few weeks from the convention, a lot of the details are still in flux.

"We had to scale back because last year we were at the Riviera with 100,000 feet of space to work with," Garfield said. "This year, most of it is happening at the Golden Nugget, and we only have 10,000 square feet to work with. It was a lot to pull together last year. I bit off more than I could chew, so we simplified things this year."

This year's skills and events include bodybuilding, yo-yo and speed cubing, which is the skill of solving a Rubik's Cube in quick and unusual ways.

"A lot of people who are into one of these skills are also interested in other skills, but some of them can't afford to go to multiple conventions, so I consolidated them into one event," Garfield said. "It also can expose them to events they might not have known existed. Last year, hardly anyone had heard of Sepak Takraw, but that turned out to be one of the most dynamic and compelling events.

Sepak Takraw is a sport with origins in Malaysia that combines elements of volleyball and martial arts. Players are not allowed to use their hands on the ball, instead propelling it by striking it with their feet, legs, chest and head. The competition is one of the events returning this year.

The convention is primarily an industry event and isn't set up for spectators. The fees for attending are for each individual event through that event's organizers. There will be SkillCon memberships available at the door, but attendees then enter the event as a presumably participating member of the skill, although it seems unlikely that attendees will be forced to prove their mastery of, for instance, the five-ball juggling cascade to enter.

Two events related to SkillCon are scheduled at other venues during the event, which should allow non-participating enthusiasts a chance to experience the talents in person.

"Horsin Around — A Night of Whips, Ropes Knives, and Burly Girlies" is scheduled at 9 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Baobab Stage Theatre at Town Square Las Vegas, 6605 Las Vegas Blvd. South. The event is set to include Western arts and burlesque with performances by knife thrower The Great Throwdini, Shawn Williams and Victor Garcia participating in an up-close, gun-spinning duel and others in an event emceed by Kyle Petersen, whose skills include unicycle, trick rope and whips. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. Visit tinyurl.com/skillhorse or baobabstage.com, or call 702-202-8010.

"We've just moved out here from New York, and this is our first event in Las Vegas," Petersen said. "The Great Throwdini will be out here, and he's the Guinness world record holder, for longest, fastest and most accurate knife throwing, so we're excited to have him out. It will be a Western/burlesque/cabaret event."

Garfield also plans to host a variety show Nov. 7 featuring some of the best and most interesting skills being practiced at the convention. Details are available at skillcon.org.

To reach East Valley View reporter F. Andrew Taylor email ataylor@viewnews.com or call 702-380-4532.