Acrobalance
Acrobalance is an acrobatic art that combines elements of two other arts: adagio and hand balancing.
Adagio consists of partner lifts, usually performed by a man and a woman, where the male lifts his female partner in many different poses and positions. Many forms of adagio also incorporate throws and tosses; the male usually throws the female into somersaults, layouts, and other acrobatic maneuvers. Most styles of dance incorporate some form of adagio (as dance lifts), including ballet (in pas de deux), jazz, and lyrical. Ice skaters also perform lifts that belong to the adagio art. Whenever a person lifts another up in different artistic poses, or performs tosses where the bottom mounter catches the top mounter again, it is considered adagio.
Hand balancing, on the other hand, is the art of performing acrobatic maneuvers while supported wholly by your hands or arms. It is performed by circus performers, gymnasts, and sports acrobats all over the world. There are several different forms of hand balancing. Partner hand balancing is where a strong bottom mounter supports the top mounter in handstands, planches and other acrobatic poses. Solo handbalancing is where a single artist performs handstands, one-hand stands, planches and other equilbristic maneuvers, usually on top of pommels, blocks or other apparatuses.
Acrobalance is the combination of the two athletic art forms: adagio lifts combined with strong-man hand balancing and partner acrobatics, such as double planches and partner handstands. Formats include male/female duo, trio, female/female, and other variations.
A performer on the ground doing the lifting and supporting in an acrobalance formation is often called the base, while a performer being lifted or tossed can be referred to as the flyer (or flier).
Acrobalance acts require a high degree of care, coordination, proprioceptive awareness, and mutual trust from the performers in order to avoid injury. Due to their extreme physical nature, acrobalance performances are usually no longer than eight to ten minutes in length.
Acrobalance acts are often set to music and performed as part of circuses and other shows.
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