For comedian, juggler, and non-profit activist Chris Bliss, life has been a study in contrasts. The youngest son of a Washington D.C. attorney, he majored in comparative literature at Northwestern University and the University of Oregon, where he was on the Dean’s List before dropping out at the end of his junior year. The reason? He told his father it was “to become the world’s most famous juggler”. Looking back, Chris admits: “the truth is, I never consciously wanted to be a juggler, or a performer of any kind. I just wanted to not be a lawyer, and being a juggler was a giant leap toward burning that bridge.” Ironically, Chris did become the world’s most famous juggler. Not once, but twice; first in 1984. With an improvisational style augmented by custom lighting effects and set to rock music, he accidentally created the perfect concert opening act. After theater dates with Eric Clapton, followed by an arena tour with rock supergroup Asia, he was asked in the spring of 1984 to be the exclusive opener for Michael Jackson’s record-breaking Victory Tour, the most talked about tour of the decade. Fifty-five sold out stadium shows later, with ticket sales topping the 3 million mark, Chris reached the peak he’d set out for. Then in 2006, eighteen years into his well-regarded stand-up comedy career, juggling fame struck again. Chris had long since become a headline attraction at America’s best comedy venues, with dozens of national television appearances, including the Tonight Show. The performance’s popularity helped usher in the age of viral video sites like YouTube, garnering Chris media attention from ABC, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, and FOX, along with feature articles by the AP, USA Today, and the Washington Post. Chris Bliss has re-introduced his juggling masterpiece as the closer for his stand-up act. "It's like icing on the cake", he explains. "I start by telling them I once toured with Michael Jackson - and they're just not buying it. They're waiting for the punch line. And then - wham!" Bliss laughs. “I love how totally shocked they are that I’m actually good at it. It's the same thing I love about comedy - that joy of the unexpected." Other career highlights include the release of his comedy CD, "My Act With Your Eyes Closed", which has received airplay on hundreds of radio stations. His first one-man show, an autobiographical monologue play titled "Walking On The Moon", debuted in late 1999 and has since been produced in both Minneapolis and Los Angeles. Told with compelling honesty and surprising humor, "Walking on the Moon" explores peak experiences and transformational moments, suggesting that ultimately it's our questions, not our answers, that define us. Titles Entertainment / Comedy / Juggling Smart Comedy for the Information Age Topics Humor, Entertainment, Technology, Sports, Emcee, Education, Music Click topic above to see more speakers on that topic Speaker's Asking Fee Range $10,000 - $14,999 Click on fee range to see more speakers. This is the starting keynote fee range - other programs may be higher. State AZ Click on state above to see more speakers from that state. Fees The fee range quoted means the speaker's fee starts somewhere within that range. Note that speaker's fees are subject to change and some speakers may have special fee quotes.