Arial acrobatics

_Elsa_

“I hope that I’m not holding you back from things that you should be doing,” Katie says.  

Tiffi tells Katie that she is free for the rest of the afternoon and doesn’t need to get home until dinnertime. Katie continues with the acrobatics.

‘Acrobatics (from Ancient Greek ἀκροβατέω, akrobateo, "walk on tiptoe, strut") is the performance of extraordinary human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. 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. An aerialist is an acrobat who performs in the air, on a suspended apparatus such as a trapeze, rope, cloud swing, aerial cradle, aerial pole, aerial silk, or aerial hoop.’ (Info here)  

Katie explains to both of them that acrobatic artists do much more than just tightrope walking. They can also do acrobatics in the air. 

‘Aerial is the art and practice of performing acrobatics in the air. Artistically it lies at the intersection of gymnastics, dance, and the circus arts. Aerial has captivated many through the performances of contemporary circus groups like Cirque du Soleil, which have pioneered the development of this art. Aerialists perform using a wide variety of apparatuses including the aerial silk (or tissu), hammock, static trapeze and aerial hoop (or lyra). At Agora, we offer classes that teach how to perform on all four of these apparatuses. 

Aerial has a long and rich history intertwined with that of the circus. One of the earliest recorded aerial apparatuses was the trapeze, which was invented in the 19th Century by Jules Léotard. Léotard developed his act by practicing over his father’s pool, eventually performing it in the Cirque Napoléon and gaining worldwide recognition. In the 1970s the aerial arts gained massive interest as part of the contemporary circus movement, leading to the development of new apparatuses such as the aerial silk in the 1990s. Agora is a local hub for contemporary circus learning, offerings classes as well as performances in the subject year round.’ (Info here) 

There is so much involved in the circus. So many acts that make up the circus! Tiffi is learning so much from Katie. She is really a neat girl and then Tiffi’s mind starts thinking. 

“Wonder if she would ever consider leaving the circus and moving here,” Tiffi thinks. “She would fit in so well with all my friends! I have to find out more about her personal history and would she ever consider leaving the circus.” 

Let’s continue - When can we see the show?

Start at the beginning – The circus is coming to town!