Sophomore Alli Moore sat in the front row Friday at the Campus Activities Center with no idea what to expect from a famous juggler.

Charles Peachock of “America’s Got Talent” fame performed for Wichita State students, faculty, staff and the community.

“I had never seen [Peachock] perform before,” Moore said. “But I would come back to watch again.”

Peachock is one of the leading innovators in the juggling world. He uses mesh balls, Ping-Pong balls, juggling rings, machetes and even flaming batons (both of which he was prohibited from demonstrating to Wichita patrons).

Moore, a lucky audience member, had the opportunity to participate in a two-person juggling act with Peachock.

He asked Moore to stand about 10 feet away from him on stage and toss a ring back and forth while he juggled. It had to be at the right height and at the right time to keep things moving smoothly.

The duo pulled off the stunt without any hiccups.

“It’s definitely not what I expected,” she said. “He’s really funny and keeps you entertained during the whole performance.”

Peachock, a six-time contestant on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” has performed for about 100 different colleges and universities, multiple corporate events and will soon perform for the Special Olympics in El Paso, Texas, with Ronn Lucas, a ventriloquist and comedian.

 “Ronn has been a great mentor over the years and has a great history in the juggling industry,” Peachock said. “He has even performed for a couple of presidents.”

He said he enjoys performing no matter how big the crowd, the venue or the travel.

“When people come to see the show, they want to have a good time,” he said. “It’s really nice with university crowds because they choose to be there as opposed to corporate shows where they may feel like they’re forced to watch.”

Sophomore Zach Torkelson said he knew all about Peachock before sitting down in the theater; he had seen Peachock on TV and wasn’t disappointed with the live performance, he said.

“Seeing him perform in person is different than watching him on TV,” Torkelson said. “Obviously there are some limitations with the stage being smaller, but it was still really amusing.”

During one of his appearances on “America’s Got Talent,” Peachock set himself on fire to keep audiences engaged.

“I encourage everyone to follow their passion, to have something in their life to enrich it,” he said. “Find something that ignites you and follow it.”