Siteswap Studio
Siteswap Studio is a tool designed to help jugglers and performers visualise, analyse and develop juggling patterns. Explore a pattern’s timing, flight paths and passing arrangements through animation, diagrams and music.
The examples below are interactive. Select an example’s title to open the same pattern in the full app, where you can change its settings.
Open Siteswap Studio ↗Animation, diagrams and music
Five-ball 97531 is shown here using all five diagram styles: Linear, Cyclic, Spiral, Polar and Dual-Branch Polar. Each view traces the same three repeating sequences, 9-1, 7-3 and 5, with the first panel also including the animation and musical score.
The score pairs throw values with musical timing using the hybrid siteswap-music notation system. In the full app, Diagram selects the view, and the music controls let you hear the throw sequence.
Throw optimisation
These two versions of seven-ball 867 compare default and optimised throw and catch positions. In the full app, Optimise positions lets you adjust the balance between throw clearance, pattern compactness and hand travel, then compare the resulting arrangements.
Passing patterns
Passing mode supports two to five jugglers, with control over the order in which their hands throw. This six-club three-count, (6x,6x)(6,6)(6,6), uses a pass followed by two self throws. Orbit colouring groups clubs that share a repeating throw sequence.
In the full app, set the number of jugglers and hand order in Passing, choose balls, clubs or rings with Prop, and select orbit colouring under Settings → Display → Colouring method.
Passing formations
The full app’s formation editor lets you move and rotate each juggler independently. Here, three jugglers share 16 rings in a custom formation, with flight paths overlaid. Find the editor under Passing → Edit juggler positions.
Open this formation in Siteswap Studio ↗ to view graphs of position, velocity and acceleration over time.
Object paths and motion
The full app’s Settings → Display options include complete flight paths and short trails, with adjustable path opacity and trail duration. This seven-ball example combines those overlays with a Cyclic diagram in relative-motion mode, where the timing guide remains fixed as the pattern rotates.
Polyrhythmic timing
Polyrhythmic timing gives each hand its own pulse. Here, 97531 uses a 2:3 ratio, with two throws in one hand for every three in the other. Throw heights adapt to the unequal beat lengths, and the resulting score uses the hybrid siteswap-music notation system.
For the background to the notation and polyrhythms, see the hybrid siteswap-music notation system. Open the example in the full app and use Polyrhythm to explore a different ratio.
Character modelling
The human character uses dynamical modelling to coordinate arm and wrist movements, grip changes and shifts in posture with the pattern. Its gaze also follows the objects. Here it performs 441 and 7. In the full app, choose between the simple figure and human character under Settings → Display.