Aerial silk performer Aerial silks (also known as aerial contortion, aerial ribbons, aerial tissues, fabric, ribbon, or tissu, depending on personal preference) [ ] is a type of performance in which one or more artists perform aerial while hanging from a fabric. The fabric may be hung as two pieces, or a single piece, folded to make a loop, classified as hammock silks. Performers climb the suspended fabric without the use of safety lines, and rely only on their training and skill to ensure safety. They use the fabric to wrap, suspend, fall, swing, and spiral their bodies into and out of various positions. Aerial silks may be used to fly through the air, striking poses and figures while flying. Some performers use dried or spray on their hands and feet to increase the and grip on the fabric.

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Contents • • • • • • Tricks [ ] The three main categories of tricks are climbs, wraps and drops. Climbs employed by aerialists range from purely practical and efficient, such as the Russian climb, to athletic and elegant tricks of their own, such as the straddle climb. Wraps are static poses where aerialists wrap the silks around one or more parts of their body. In general, the more complicated the wrap, the stronger the force of friction and the less effort required to hold oneself up.

Some wraps, such as the straddle-back-balance, actually allow performers to completely release their hands. Foot locks are a sub-category of wraps where the silks are wrapped around one or both feet, for instance an ankle hang. In a drop, performers wrap themselves up high on the silks before falling to a lower position. Drops can combine aspects of, rolling or otherwise rotating oneself before landing in a new pose.

Preparation for a drop can make for a pretty wrap, but the ultimate goal is the fall rather than the pose. Of the three trick types, drops require the most strength, and are also the most potentially dangerous.

Rosin (dry or mixed with rubbing alcohol) is employed to help performers maintain their grip. Aerial silks are a demanding art and require a high degree of strength, power, flexibility, courage, stamina and grace to practice.

X11 Video Output Xcb Download Free. Christianne 'Flip' Sainz of Aerial Angels performing aerial silk at King Richard's Faire, a in Massachusetts. The fabrics used as silks are very strong with some give and flexibility. The fabric is 2-way stretch polyester lycra or Tricot Nylon. The width varies depending on the routine and the acrobat. The fabric is usually quite long, as it is doubled for rigging, giving the acrobat two strips of fabric to work with as they perform.

[ ] • Stretch • Low stretch fabrics. Low stretch fabrics are primarily used by beginners who have not yet developed proper climbing technique.

• Medium stretch fabrics. Medium stretch fabrics are the principal choice of professional aerialists and graduates of professional training programs. Fabric width is mostly a personal choice.

The thickness of the fabric when gathered is also influenced by the ', or technical thickness of the fabric's weave. 40 denier is a common choice. The following applies to 40 denier nylon fabric: • 60' - Narrow when open, thin when gathered. Fairly common simply because the fabric is widely available.

• 72-84” - Average for adult performers • 96' - Wide when open, thick when gathered. Best for adults with large hands. • 108” - Very wide and thick. For adults with very large hands, or specialty acts. • Length • Length is a function of the height of the space available. • For beginners, it is beneficial if the fabric comes down past the ground, allowing them to practice wraps at a lower level where they can be spotted. • For intermediate users and above, it is sufficient if the fabrics come down to the ground.

• For all users, the space required is usually between 20 feet (6 m) and 30 feet (9 m). There are a great many tricks that can be done on a 12-to-15-foot (3.7 to 4.6 m) aerial fabric and a few drops require more than 30 feet, but for the most part 20 to 30 feet (6 to 9 m) is best. Rigging [ ] applies to the hanging of aerial silks and hammocks. Aerial silk rigging equipment commonly includes: • a figure-eight descender, rescue eight, ring, or other piece of hardware for holding the silk • a ball-bearing swivel to keep the silk from twisting and to allow for spinning, which is sometimes not used but makes spinning more manageable • for connecting the silk hardware to the swivel, and for connecting the swivel to a mounting point See also [ ] • • References [ ] •: Chapter 2 - 'Static Trapeze, Rope and Silks.' [PDF, 6.2 MB] and Chapter 8 - 'Manual for Safety and Rigging.' [PDF, 3.3 MB] European Federation of Professional Circus Schools (FEDEC), 2008. • [ ] [PDF, 3.6 MB] US Army, 1995.

• Sharon McCutcheon, Geoff Perrem. Circus in Schools Handbook. Tarook Publishing, 2004. ( ) • Hovey Burgess, Judy Finelli. Circus Techniques. Brian Dube, 1989. ( ) • Carrie Heller.

Aerial Circus Training and Safety Manual. National Writers Press, 2004. ( ) • Jayne C. Bernasconi and Nancy E. Aerial Dance. United States: Human Kinetics, 2008.

( ) • Elena Zanzu, M.A. Il Trapezio Oscillante: Storie di Circo nell'Aria. ( The Swinging Trapeze: Histories of the Circus in the Air.) Bologna University, Italy, 2004-2005. Language: Italian. External links [ ] Wikimedia Commons has media related to.

Contents • • • • • • History [ ] The art of trapeze performance was developed by, a young French and, in in the mid-1800s. He invented the flying trapeze, practising over his father's swimming pool. Types of trapeze [ ] • refers to a trapeze act in which the performer moves around the bar and ropes, performing a wide range of movements including balances, drops, hangs while the bar itself stays generally static. The difficulty on a static trapeze is making every move look effortless. It is like dance, in that most people of a reasonable level of strength can get onto the trapeze bar for the first time and perform some basic tricks, but an experienced artist will do them with much more grace and style. • (or swinging single trapeze) refers to an act performed on a trapeze swinging in a forward - backward motion.

The performer builds up swing from a still position, and uses the momentum of the swing to execute the tricks. Usually tricks on a swinging trapeze are thrown on the peaks of the swing and involve dynamic movements that require precise timing. Most of the tricks begin with the performer sitting or standing on the bar and end with the performer catching the bar in his/her hands or in an ankle hang (hanging by the ankles by bracing them between the rope and the bar). This act requires a great deal of strength, grace, and flexibility. The trapeze bar is weighted and often has cable inside the supporting ropes for extra strength to withstand the dynamic forces of the swing. • refers to a trapeze act where a performer, or 'flyer,' grabs the trapeze bar and jumps off a high platform, or pedestal board, so that gravity creates the swing. The swing's parts are the 'force out' (sometimes called the 'cast out') at the far end of the first swing, the beat back and the rise (also known as 'seven') as the performer swings back above the pedestal board, and then the trick is thrown at the far end of the second swing.

The performer often releases the bar and is caught by another performer, the 'catcher,' who hangs by his or her knees on another trapeze, or sometimes on a cradle, which can be either stationary or also swinging. People of any size are able to execute basic trapeze maneuvers. Flying trapeze is generally done over a net, or occasionally over water. In the UK, many outdoor education centres offer an activity known as 'leap of faith'. This activity invites participants to climb to the top of a narrow pole and jump, arms outstretched, to grab a trapeze bar.

Similar to the flying trapeze, gravity creates the swing. In this type of activity, participants are attached via rope and harness and an added challenge to get your legs over the trapeze can be included. • (also known as head trapeze or heavy trapeze) refers to a variation on static and swinging trapeze where the aerialist performs various headstand skills on the bar, which is typically much heavier than a normal trapeze bar and has a small (about 4-inch round) headstand platform on it. The trapeze is supported by wire cables rather than ropes, and the apparatus will often be lifted and lowered during the act. • (also known as ) refers to a trapeze used by many companies in. The ropes of the trapeze are often both attached to a single, allowing the trapeze to spin in either small or large circles. • (also known as the French trapeze) is a variation on the static trapeze, and features two performers working together on the same trapeze to perform figures and bear each other's weight.

It can also be performed swinging, in which case the act is called 'swinging double trapeze.' Triple trapeze refers to a number of different shapes and sizes of trapeze, including double trapeze, and larger multiples designed for use by multiple simultaneous flyers. Shaped trapezes are apparatuses that can take virtually any shape imaginable.

• Duplex Trapeze refer to any trapeze with two layers of hand bars, one on top of the other such that acrobats can jump from the upper and land (or be caught by a catcher) on the lower. Further reading [ ] • Sharon McCutcheon, Geoff Perrem. Circus in Schools Handbook. Tarook Publishing, 2004. ( ) • Hovey Burgess, Judy Finelli. Circus Techniques.

Brian Dube, 1989. ( ) • Carrie Heller. Aerial Circus Training and Safety Manual. National Writers Press, 2004. ( ) • Shana Kennedy. Aerial Skills Illustrated 2007. Project 630570 at Lulu.com, 2007.

Bernasconi and Nancy E. Lo Specchio Di Beatrice Pdf Converter. Aerial Dance. United States: Human Kinetics, 2008. ( ) • Elena Zanzu, M.A.

Il Trapezio Oscillante: Storie di Circo nell'Aria. ( The Swinging Trapeze: Histories of the Circus in the Air.) Bologna University, Italy, 2004-2005.

Language: Italian. See also [ ] • References [ ].