The hair hang is an
aerial 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 ...
act where performers (usually young women) are suspended by their hair, performing
acrobatic poses and/or manipulation. Some believe the act originated in
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...
; others claim the act hails from
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 ...
. Performers hang suspended by their
hair
Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals.
The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and fi ...
, which is tied into a hairhang
rig; the techniques used to tie the performer's hair, and the acrobatic techniques involved in the act are key.
Many people underestimate the
tensile strength
Ultimate tensile strength (UTS), often shortened to tensile strength (TS), ultimate strength, or F_\text within equations, is the maximum stress that a material can withstand while being stretched or pulled before breaking. In brittle materials ...
of hair. A single strand can potentially carry a weight of up to 100
gram
The gram (originally gramme; SI unit symbol g) is a unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI) equal to one one thousandth of a kilogram.
Originally defined as of 1795 as "the absolute weight of a volume of pure water equal to th ...
s; in theory, with proper technique, a full head of human hair could eventually hold between 5,600 kg and 8,400 kg (12,345 to 18,518 lbs) without breaking individual hairs or pulling out any
follicles. However, the act still hurts, especially for new performers.
Hair hanging acts are prominently featured in the
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil (, ; "Circus of the Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 ...
touring productions ''
Volta'' and ''
Bazzar''. In 2020, American violinist
Lindsey Stirling
Lindsey Stirling (born September 21, 1986) is an American violinist, songwriter, and dancer. She presents choreographed violin performances, in live and music videos found on her official YouTube channel, which she created in 2007.
Stirling pe ...
hung from her hair while playing her signature piece Crystalize as part of her Home for the Holidays virtual concert.
See also
*
Circus skills
Circus skills are a group of disciplines that have been performed as entertainment in circus, sideshow, busking, or variety, vaudeville, or music hall shows. Most circus skills are still being performed today. Many are also practiced by non-perfo ...
*
Iron jaw (circus)
The Iron Jaw is a traditional aerial circus act.
The act consists of a performer raised into the air by a cable, trapeze or other similar apparatus, supported only by a bit clamped between her teeth. Depending on the apparatus the bit is attac ...
References
External links
Circus Hair-Hang PerformerProyecto OtradnoieSimply Circus
(in Bulgarian)
Capilotractées - Galapiat Cirque
{{Circus skills
Circus skills
Human hair