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Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance,
agility Agility or nimbleness is an ability to change the body's position quickly and requires the integration of isolated movement skills using a combination of balance, coordination, speed, reflexes, strength, and endurance. More specifically, it i ...
, and
motor coordination Motor coordination is the orchestrated movement of multiple body parts as required to accomplish intended actions, like walking. This coordination is achieved by adjusting kinematic and kinetic parameters associated with each body part involved in ...
. Acrobatic skills are used in
performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perfo ...
, sporting events, and
martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preser ...
. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in acro dance,
circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...
, and
gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...
, and to a lesser extent in other athletic activities including
ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form ...
, slacklining and diving. Although acrobatics is most commonly associated with human body performance, the term is used to describe other types of performance, such as
aerobatics Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aerial" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and glide ...
.


History

Acrobatic traditions are found in many cultures, and there is evidence that the earliest such traditions occurred thousands of years ago. For example, Minoan art from c. 2000 BC contains depictions of acrobatic feats on the backs of bulls.
Ancient Greeks Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cult ...
practiced acrobatics, and the
noble court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...
displays of the
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
an
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
would often include acrobatic performances that included juggling. In
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
, acrobatics have been a part of the culture since the
Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...
(203 BC). Acrobatics were part of village harvest
festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...
s. During the
Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...
, acrobatics saw much the same sort of development as European acrobatics saw during the Middle Ages, with court displays during the 7th through 10th century dominating the practice. Acrobatics continues to be an important part of modern Chinese variety art. Though the term initially applied to tightrope walking, in the 19th century, a form of performance art including
circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...
acts began to use the term as well. In the late 19th century, tumbling and other acrobatic and gymnastic activities became competitive sport in Europe. Acrobatics has often served as a subject for fine art. Examples of this are paintings such as ''Acrobats at the Cirque Fernando (Francisca and Angelina Wartenberg)'' by
Impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passag ...
Pierre-Auguste Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionism, Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially femininity, feminine sensuality ...
, which depicts two German acrobatic sisters,
Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...
's 1905 ''
Acrobat and Young Harlequin ''Acrobat and Young Harlequin'' (French: ''Acrobate et jeune Arlequin'') is a 1905 oil on canvas painting by Pablo Picasso. Painted toward the end of Picasso's Blue Period and the outset of his Rose Period, the work displays characteristics of b ...
'', and '' Acrobats in a Paris suburb'' by Viktor Vasnetsov.


Types


Acrobalance

''Acrobalance'' is a floor based acrobatic art that involves balances, lifts and creating shapes performed in pairs or groups.


Acro dance

''Acro dance'' is a style of dance that combines classical dance technique with precision acrobatic elements.


Aerial

''Aerial'' is acrobatics performed in the air on a suspended apparatus.


Trapeze

A ''trapeze'' is a short horizontal bar hung by ropes or metal straps from a support. Trapeze acts may be static, spinning (rigged from a single point), swinging or flying, and may be performed solo, double, triple or as a group act.


Cord lisse

''Corde lisse'' is a skill or act that involves acrobatics on a vertically hanging rope. The name is
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
for "smooth rope".


Cloud swing

''Cloud swing'' is a skill that usually combines static and swinging trapeze skills, drops, holds and rebound lifts.


Cradle

''Cradle'' (also known as aerial cradle or casting cradle) is a type of aerial circus skill in which a performer hangs by their knees from a large rectangular frame and swings, tosses, and catches another performer


Silks

''Aerial silks'' is a type of aerial skill in which one or more artists perform aerial acrobatics while hanging from a long length of fabric suspended from a frame or ceiling.


Hoop

''Aerial hoop'' (also known as the ''lyra'', ''aerial ring'' or ''cerceau''/''cerceaux) is a circular steel apparatus (resembling a hula hoop) suspended from the ceiling or a frame, on which artists may perform aerial acrobatics. It can be used static, spinning, or swinging.


Gallery of aerial artists


Contortion

''Contortion'' (sometimes contortionism) is a performance art in which performers called contortionists showcase their skills of extreme physical flexibility


Rope and wire walking

''Tightrope walking'', also called funambulism, is the skill of walking along a thin wire or rope. Its earliest performance has been traced to
Ancient Greece Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cu ...
. It is commonly associated with the circus. Other skills similar to tightrope walking include slack rope walking and slacklining.


Tumbling

''Tumbling'' is an acrobatic skill involving rolls, twists, somersaults and other rotational activities using the whole body. Its origin can be traced to
ancient China The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), during the reign of king Wu Ding. Ancient historical texts such as the '' Book of Documents'' (early chapt ...
, Ancient Greece and ancient Egypt. Tumbling continued in medieval times and then in circuses and theatre before becoming a competitive sport.


See also

*
Acrobatic gymnastics Acrobatic gymnastics is a competitive gymnastic discipline where partnerships of gymnasts work together and perform figures consisting of acrobatic moves, dance and tumbling, set to music. There are three types of routines; a 'balance' routine ...
*
List of acrobatic activities This is a list of circus skills, dances, performance arts, sports, and other activities that involve acrobatics. * Acrobalance – Acrobatic art that combines elements of adagio and hand balancing. * Acroyoga – Physical practice which combi ...


References


External links

{{Authority control Acrobatic gymnastics Circus skills Performing arts