Acrobatics ()[ ἀκροβατέω, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek–English Lexicon, Perseus Project] is the performance of human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sports events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in acro dance, circus, gymnastics, and freerunning and to a lesser extent in other athletic activities including ballet, 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.
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 contains depictions of
bull-leaping.
Ancient Greeks practiced acrobatics,
and the
noble court displays of the European
Middle Ages would often include acrobatic performances that included
juggling.
In China, acrobatics have been a part of the culture since the Tang dynasty (618–907). Acrobatics were part of village harvest .
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, 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 trapeze, spinning (rigged from a single point), swinging or
Flying trapeze, and may be performed solo, double, triple or as a group act.
Corde 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.
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.
See also
-
Acrobatic gymnastics
-
List of acrobatic activities
External links
