Flying Trapeze
Encyclopedia
The flying trapeze is a specific form of the trapeze
in which a performer jumps from a platform with the trapeze so that gravity makes the trapeze swing.
The performance was invented in 1859, by a Frenchman named Jules Leotard
who connected a bar to some ventilator cords above the swimming pool in his father's gymnasium
in Toulouse
, France
. After practicing tricks above the pool, Leotard performed his act in the Cirque Napoleon (now known as the Cirque d'hiver
). The traditional flier's costume, the leotard
, is named after him.
), and take off from the board on the fly bar. The flyer must wait for a call from the catcher to make sure he or she leaves at the correct time. Otherwise the catcher will not be close enough to the flyer to make a successful catch. The flier then performs one of many aerial tricks, and is caught by the catcher, who is swinging from a separate catch bar. Once in the catcher's hands, the flyer continues to swing, and is thrust back toward the fly bar in a maneuver called a "return". A return could consist of some kind of twist back to the bar, an "angel
" (when the catcher holds the flyer by the feet and one arm), or any other trick that a flyer can think of to get back to the bar. Once back to the fly bar, the flyer can return back to the board, and another flyer takes a turn.
s and a catcher, as of 2008 many innovative styles of flying trapeze have been performed in circuses all over the world like Cirque Du Soleil
, The Flying Farfans, and The Flying Caceres
. Cirque Du Soleil's La Nouba features a bar to bar flying trapeze act, and Cirque Du Soleil's Corteo presents a high-flying act quite similar to flying trapeze, but without bars. The flyers fly from one catcher to another in an innovative adagio-influenced aerial act. Still other flying trapeze acts focus on high-flying aerial tricks from the flyers, but perform their release tricks to the net, rather than to catchers.
In the early years of young Mr. Leotard's performances, the flying trapeze did not have the safety net
as is typically seen today. He would perform over a series of mattress
es on a raised runway to give the audience
a better view of his tricks or "passes."
Most modern flyers start out wearing a safety harness
, while a trainer on the ground controls the lines and will pull them if the flyer is in a dangerous situation. Pulling on the lines will suspend the flyer in the air, and letting go of the lines slowly will bring the flyer to the ground safely. Once a flyer has mastered a particular trick, they will take off the safety harness. Every safe flying trapeze rig will always have a large net underneath the rig. Many flyers in the circus do not start out using safety belts. Those flyers who are not wearing safety harnesses learn how to fall safely into the net in case they miss a catch or unexpectedly fall off the bar or off the catcher.
Several risky flying trapeze acts have been performed without safety nets in earlier circus days, but it would be rare to find this kind of act today, as most flying trapeze acts are performed between 20 and 40 feet above the ground.
These are tricks performed Bar-to-Bar:
These are tricks that can be performed without a catcher:
Returns:
Trapeze
A trapeze is a short horizontal bar hung by ropes or metal straps from a support. It is an aerial apparatus commonly found in circus performances...
in which a performer jumps from a platform with the trapeze so that gravity makes the trapeze swing.
The performance was invented in 1859, by a Frenchman named Jules Leotard
Jules Léotard
Jules Léotard , was a revolutionary French acrobatic performer who developed the art of trapeze. He also popularised the one-piece gymwear that now bears his name and was the inspiration for the 1867 song "The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze"....
who connected a bar to some ventilator cords above the swimming pool in his father's gymnasium
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. After practicing tricks above the pool, Leotard performed his act in the Cirque Napoleon (now known as the Cirque d'hiver
Cirque d'hiver
The Cirque d'hiver , located at 110 rue Amelot , has been a prominent venue for circuses, exhibitions of dressage, musical concerts, and other events, including exhibitions of Turkish wrestling and even fashion shows...
). The traditional flier's costume, the leotard
Leotard
A leotard is a skin-tight one-piece garment that covers the torso but leaves the legs free. It was made famous by the French acrobatic performer Jules Léotard ....
, is named after him.
Trapeze acts
In a traditional flying trapeze act, flyers mount a narrow board (usually by climbing a tall ladderLadder
A ladder is a vertical or inclined set of rungs or steps. There are two types: rigid ladders that can be leaned against a vertical surface such as a wall, and rope ladders that are hung from the top. The vertical members of a rigid ladder are called stringers or stiles . Rigid ladders are usually...
), and take off from the board on the fly bar. The flyer must wait for a call from the catcher to make sure he or she leaves at the correct time. Otherwise the catcher will not be close enough to the flyer to make a successful catch. The flier then performs one of many aerial tricks, and is caught by the catcher, who is swinging from a separate catch bar. Once in the catcher's hands, the flyer continues to swing, and is thrust back toward the fly bar in a maneuver called a "return". A return could consist of some kind of twist back to the bar, an "angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
" (when the catcher holds the flyer by the feet and one arm), or any other trick that a flyer can think of to get back to the bar. Once back to the fly bar, the flyer can return back to the board, and another flyer takes a turn.
Innovative trapeze
Although many people define a flying trapeze act as an act involving two trapezeTrapeze
A trapeze is a short horizontal bar hung by ropes or metal straps from a support. It is an aerial apparatus commonly found in circus performances...
s and a catcher, as of 2008 many innovative styles of flying trapeze have been performed in circuses all over the world like Cirque Du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
, The Flying Farfans, and The Flying Caceres
The Flying Caceres
The Flying Caceres was created by Miguel Caceres in 1982 for the 112th Edition of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Both Miguel and his wife, Luz Caceres, were flying trapeze artists from Colombia, South America. They came to the United States on a contract for Ringling Bros. and Barnum &...
. Cirque Du Soleil's La Nouba features a bar to bar flying trapeze act, and Cirque Du Soleil's Corteo presents a high-flying act quite similar to flying trapeze, but without bars. The flyers fly from one catcher to another in an innovative adagio-influenced aerial act. Still other flying trapeze acts focus on high-flying aerial tricks from the flyers, but perform their release tricks to the net, rather than to catchers.
Safety
Safety net
A safety net is in most cases a net to protect people from injury after falling by limiting the distance they fall. It may also be a device to arrest falling or flying objects for the safety of people beyond the net....
as is typically seen today. He would perform over a series of mattress
Mattress
A mattress is a manufactured product to sleep or lie on, consisting of resilient materials and covered with an outer fabric or ticking. In the developed world it is typically part of a bed set and is placed upon a foundation....
es on a raised runway to give the audience
Audience
An audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature , theatre, music or academics in any medium...
a better view of his tricks or "passes."
Most modern flyers start out wearing a safety harness
Safety harness
A safety harness is a form of protective equipment designed to protect a person, animal, or object from injury or damage. The harness is an attachment between a stationary and non-stationary object and is usually fabricated from rope, cable or webbing and locking hardware...
, while a trainer on the ground controls the lines and will pull them if the flyer is in a dangerous situation. Pulling on the lines will suspend the flyer in the air, and letting go of the lines slowly will bring the flyer to the ground safely. Once a flyer has mastered a particular trick, they will take off the safety harness. Every safe flying trapeze rig will always have a large net underneath the rig. Many flyers in the circus do not start out using safety belts. Those flyers who are not wearing safety harnesses learn how to fall safely into the net in case they miss a catch or unexpectedly fall off the bar or off the catcher.
Several risky flying trapeze acts have been performed without safety nets in earlier circus days, but it would be rare to find this kind of act today, as most flying trapeze acts are performed between 20 and 40 feet above the ground.
Terminology
- Listo/Lista - Ready; Used by the flyer and/or catcher to signify that they are holding the fly bar (for a flyer) or have built enough height in their swing for a catch (for a catcher) and ready to go.
- Ready - Used by the catcher to tell the flyer that they should leave the board momentarily. The flyer bends their knees, and if executing a one-handed take-off, dips the bar so they can raise it higher when they jump off the board.
- Lining Up - Called from the board. When the person working the board for those who have not yet learned to retrieve and serve the bar themselves gives the flyer the fly bar. It really means that the flyer is "lining up" their trick.
- Hup - Signal to leave the board and/or the fly bar. Sometimes used by the catcher to tell the flyer to let go after a catch when landing in the net.
- First - Usually called by someone pulling safety lines when tricks are being thrown to the net. It is used for front-end tricks to signify getting to the first position.
- Final - Also usually called by one pulling safety lines. It is used for front-end tricks to signify getting to the final position.
- Gotcha - Some catchers say, "Gotcha!" when they catch to signify that they have a good grip on the flyer and that the flyer can let go of the fly bar.
- Catch Trap - The trapeze that the catcher swings on.
- Fly Bar - The bar the flyer uses.
- Apron - The net in front of the catch trap. (The back apron is the net in back of the board.)
- Rise/Riser - A narrow board placed on the rungs of the ladder to allow the flyer to take off from a higher point.
- Noodle - The long pole used to reach the fly bar when the person working the board cannot reach it normally.
- Mount - When the flyer mounts the board after a return.
- Return - When the flyer, after a successful catch, manages to return to the fly bar, and often all the way back to the board. In professional shows, the flyers rarely come down from the board.
- Grips - Can be gymnastics grips or ones made out of tape. They are used to protect the flyer's hands.
- Chalk - Used by the flyer and catcher to absorb wetness and get reduce sticking to things such as the fly bar.
- Force Out - Kicking the legs out at the peak of the flyer's swing to gain height.
- Hollow - Comes right after the force-out. It's basically a neutral position.
- Sweep - Comes after "hollow." Signifies kicking the legs back.
- Seven - The last part of a force-out swing. Flyer brings legs in front of them so they will not hit the board.
- Cutaway Bar - The bar that the catcher holds when the flyer executes tricks to the catcher such as normal Cutaways and Reverse Knee-Hangs.
- Cut (as in Cut Catch) - The flyer is caught in a legs catch and swings out into the apron. On the next swing into the apron, the flyer thrusts their body up and the catcher lets go of the flyer's legs and grabs their hands.
Tricks
Below is a list of flying trapeze tricks that can be thrown to a catcher:- Feet Across (a.k.a. "Legs")
- Heels Off
- Hocks Off
- Splits (Front End/Back End)
- Straddle Whip (Front End/Back End)
- Whip (Front End/Back End)
- Bird's Nest/Birdie (Front End/Back End)
- Shooting Star
- Half Turn
- Straight Jump
- Cut Catch
- Uprise Shoot
- Forward Over
- Forward Under
- Double Over
- Passing Leap
- Piggyback
- Reverse Knee Hang
- One Knee Hang
- Flexus
- Somersault
- Hocks Salto
- Front Hip Circle/Back Hip Circle
- Seat Roll/Penny Roll (Full Time/Half Time)
- Planche (Front End/Back End)
- Pirouette (540)
- Layout
- One and a half Somersault
- Cutaway
- Cutaway Half
- Cutaway Full
- Double Somersault
- Double Cutaway
- Double Cutaway and a half twist
- Double Layout
- Full Twisting Double
- Double-Double
- Triple Somersault
- Triple Twisting Double
- Full Twisting Triple
- Triple Twisting Double
- Triple Layout
These are tricks performed Bar-to-Bar:
- Hocks Off
- Splits (Front End/Back End)
- Straddle Whip (Front End/Back End)
- Whip (Front End/Back End)
- Bird's Nest/Birdie (Front End/Back End
- Half Turn
- Straight Jump
- Planche (Front End/Back End)
- Layout
- Double Somersault
These are tricks that can be performed without a catcher:
- Salute
- Half Turn
- Force Out Turn Around
- Back Mount
- Suicide
- Reverse Suicide
- Pirouette
Returns:
- Half Turn
- Flexus
- Birdie
- Legs (Twist one direction to grab the bar.)
- Angel (1 or 2 legs)
- Pirouette (540)