Acrobatics
Acrobatics (from
Greek Akros, high and
bat, walking) is one of the
performing arts, and is also practiced as a
sport. Acrobatics involves difficult feats of balance, agility and coordination. Nearly any performance or sport which involves full-body activity – especially in short, highly controlled bursts of activity – can be considered acrobatics, and there is substantial overlap with dance, various sports such as diving and even religious practices.
Western history
Acrobatic traditions are found in many cultures. In the
West,
Minoan art from circa
2000 BC contains depictions of acrobatic feats on the backs of bulls, which may have been a
religious ritual. [
1]
The
court displays of the
European
Middle Ages would often involve acrobatic performances along with
song,
juggling and other activities.
Though initially the term applied to tight-rope walking, in the
19th century, a form of performance art including
gymnastics and
circus acts began to use the term as well. In the late 19th century, tumbling and other acrobatic / gymnastic activities became a competitive sport in Europe.
Eastern history
In
China, acrobatics ("Hundred Plays") have been a part of the culture since the
Western Han Dynasty, over 2500 years ago, when acrobatics were part of village harvest
festivals. [
2]
During the
Tang Dynasty, acrobatics saw much the same sort of development as European acrobatics saw during the Middle Ages with court displays during the
7th through
10th century dominating the practice. [
3]
The first use of acrobatics as a specific sport was in the
Soviet Union in the
1930s, [
4] and the first world championships were in
1974.
Sports acrobatics are judged in five categories:
*Men's
*Women's
*Mixed pairs
*Women's triples
*Men's quadruplesA sixth and seventh category for tumbling (men's and women's) were discontinued in the world championships in
1999. Many sports acrobatics groups continue to hold tumbling events, however. [
5] Typically
tumbling consists of three series of acrobatic elements performed on the run, including
somersaults and
handsprings.
The five types of event are
choreographed with
music. They can involve dance, tumbling and "partner skills" which can in turn involve "balance" and "tempo" skills. Tempo skills involve some form of aerial manoeuvre while balance skills involve poses and holds.
Sports acrobatics is the original and official name for the sport, though it is known as Acro-gymnastics, Acro Gymnastics or Acrogymnastics as well.
Sports acrobatics was a demonstration sport at the
2000 Summer Olympics in
Sydney. [
6]
*
aerial tissu*
juggling*
trapeze work
*
wire-walking*
contortion*
pole climbing*
springboard diving*
tower diving*
adagio*
acrobalance*
Corde lisse*
Spanish web*
Trampolining*
Tumbling*
Wushu (sport)*
fire breathing
