Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of

balance Balance or balancing may refer to: Common meanings * Balance (ability) in biomechanics * Balance (accounting) * Balance or weighing scale * Balance as in equality or equilibrium Arts and entertainment Film * ''Balance'' (1983 film), a Bulgaria ...

, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in

acro dance Acro dance is a style of dance that combines classical dance technique with precision acrobatic elements. It is defined by its athletic character, its unique choreography, which seamlessly blends dance and acrobatics, and its use of acrobatics i ...

, circus, and gymnastics, 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 of ...

slacklining Slacklining refers to the act of walking, running or balancing along a suspended length of flat webbing that is tensioned between two anchors. Slacklining is similar to slack rope walking and tightrope walking. Slacklines differ from tightwir ...

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 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 subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

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 Juggling is a physical skill, performed by a juggler, involving the manipulation of objects for recreation, entertainment, art or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling. Juggling can be the manipulation of one object ...

. In China, acrobatics have been a part of the culture since the

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...

(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 ...

s. During the

, 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 Chinese variety art () refers to a wide range of acrobatic acts, balancing acts and other demonstrations of physical skill traditionally performed by a troupe in China. Many of these acts have a long history in China and are still performed today. ...

. Though the term initially applied to tightrope walking, in the 19th century, a form of performance art including circus 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 Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 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'', and '' Acrobats in a Paris suburb'' by

Viktor Vasnetsov Viktor Mikhaylovich Vasnetsov (russian: Ви́ктор Миха́йлович Васнецо́в; May 15 ( N.S.), 1848 – July 23, 1926) was a Russian artist who specialized in mythological and historical subjects. He is considered the co-founde ...

Types

Chinese acrobat in midair being watched by other acrobats

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 Static may refer to: Places *Static Nunatak, a nunatak in Antarctica United States * Static, Kentucky and Tennessee *Static Peak, a mountain in Wyoming **Static Peak Divide, a mountain pass near the peak Science and technology Physics *Static el ...

, 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 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 Sea, Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of Classical Antiquity, classical antiquity ( AD 600), th ...

. 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, Ancient Greece and ancient Egypt. Tumbling continued in medieval times and then in circuses and theatre before becoming a competitive sport.

References

External links

{{Authority control Acrobatic gymnastics Circus skills Performing arts