For cleaning, the best advice I can give is to SLOW DOWN. I mean to barely fast enough to do the move you are after. It will result in more control, less sloppiness and the audience can keep up. I get comments that I make people dizzy when I go fast. That is usually when I switch to an isolation. Also practice and refine each step of a move, instead of concentrating on a series. As far as performing goes, the best I can tell you is make eye contact and facial expressions with the audience. It makes them feel included. Further than that, I don't know. I have only performed formally at a few open mic nights. I rocked though. :)

I'm trying to learn this myself.. I feel like I've finally gotten smooth and confident enough with my CJ to

Dizz's advice is what you hear most on CJ.org, and it is the best. Slow down, interact with the audience. I've noticed that I seem to get a lot more response from simple tricks + eye contact/talking than I get for focusing on technical tricks and not being very lively.

Subtle body movements also seem to add to the overall impact - a little movement and flow, creating lines, patterns not just with the sphere but also with the body really make the performance more dramatic.

And slightly off topic - I notice you're from Richmond.. Is there much of a CJ scene out there? My fiance and I are kinda new to the central VA area, and haven't been able to make many contacts yet..

For cleaning: slow down. I got sick of hearing this piece of advice for every trick that I wanted to clean up... until I tried it. If you're having a hard time slowing a trick down, try breaking it up into component parts or intermediary tricks. Example: palm rolling can be broken into five stall points - thumb/index, index/middle, middle/ring, ring/pinky, palm. If you can get cleanly and slowly between those five stall points, the palm roll becomes a piece of cake.

If you get a chance to practice with a 4" acrylic, it'll help. The sheer weight of the damn thing will force you to slow those tricks down - even butterflies.

When performing, take notice of which tricks really wow your audience. The really meditative and skillful tricks can often go right over an audience's head; conversely, super-easy tricks can often get an audience to snap to attention. Sometimes it just takes the right stall to woo your people... it feels like cheating, but holding the right stall for a few seconds can get people to really go wild.

Lastly, try to take notice of what the rest of your body's doing during a performance. My off hand had a tendency to do stupid-looking things while I was doing tricks with my other hand; other times, I shift my weight in funny ways while doing other tricks. Just being aware will allow you to iron out your bad habits - and keep the cool-looking ones. And always remember what your face is doing! I discovered tonight that my mouth wants to hang open during a forehead stall...