Hand to hand acrobatics
Hand to hand acrobatics is a type of performance in which an acrobatic base and flyer balance on top of each other in either a
Hand to hand acrobatics has been used in a variety of contexts throughout history. These include circus acrobatics, acrobatic gymnastics, muscle beaches, acroyoga, and strongman competitions.
Circus acrobatics
In circus shows such as Le Rêve or Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away, hand to hand acrobatics have featured as an important part of the show. Often the circus will recruit gymnasts from sports such as acrobatic gymnastics because hand to hand acrobatics is such a big part of that sport.
Hand to hand acrobatics also appears within other disciplines in the circus arts.
Acrobatic gymnastics
According to Chrissy Antoniades, an acrobat who represented Team USA and is now working at The House of Dancing Water in Macau, China,[1] acrobatic gymnastics is not a well-known sport.[2] The routines are performed on the same spring floor gymnasts use for floor exercise competitions. Partner balances, tosses, catches, dance, and tumbling elements are all choreographed and performed to music. Working in groups or pairs, hand to hand acrobatics is especially stressed in the sport. While you are allowed to perform skills on other body parts, it is very common to see skills performed in the hand to hand fashion. This is true especially in the case of pairs—two athletes working together in a routine.
The first use of acrobatics as a specific sport was in the Soviet Union in the 1930s, and the first acrobatic world championships were in 1974.[3] At this time many acrobats were not performing the same types of routines one would see today. Instead, for groups of four boys, they would have only one balance skill where all four of them are stacked on top of each other, and hand to hand acrobatic moves of the competitors choice were performed.
Acroyoga
Acroyoga is a recent practice stemming from acrobatic gymnastics. It features hand to hand acrobatics in a similar way, but routines are not performed as in the sport. While hand to hand acrobatics is a small part in acroyoga, it is more common to do many different types of balancing positions.
College campuses
A small group of college students perform hand to hand acrobatics in their own acrobatic competitions. Currently, only girls are allowed to compete in the sport. The sport resembles cheerleading more than it does acrobatics. Teams that compete come from
Strongman
In
References
- ^ "The House of Dancing Water".
- ^ "Chrissy Antoniades, Emily Ruppert Fall in Love with Acrobatic Gymnastics". The Washington Post. 2011-03-20.
- ^ "History of acrobatic gymnastics". USA Gymnastics. 2007-04-26.
- ^ "Baylor Bears: Acrobatics & Tumbling Schedule".
- ^ "Tip: How To Do a Handstand". Testosterone Nation. 2017-09-24.
External links
- Caplan, Callie. "Three Columbia Brothers, All Elite Acrobatic Gymnasts, Aim to Build on International Success". Baltimoresun.com. January 22, 2018. Accessed October 18, 2018.
- Gregory, Sean. “Cheer Factor”. Time 179, no. 16 (April 23, 2012): 54–57.