The use of
chair
A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. They may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...
s as props in
acrobatics
Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in acro ...
falls into three broad categories: balancing, vaulting and contortion.
Balancing
In chair balancing, one or more acrobats balance on one or more chairs. The chair(s) may be balanced on other objects and/or on just one or two legs while the acrobat(s) themselves may also perform balancing acts on the chair.
The chairs used in balance may have notches cut out or extra pieces of material added to allow them to be stacked at otherwise unstable angles.
Chair balancing acts have been featured in the Cirque du Soleil shows ''
Nouvelle Experience Nouvelle is a French word, the feminine form of "new". It may refer to:
;Places
* Nouvelle, Quebec, a municipality in Quebec, Canada
* Nouvelle-Église, a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department, France
* Port-la-Nouvelle, a commune in the Aude d ...
'', ''
La Nouba
''La Nouba'' was a Cirque du Soleil show that ran for 19 years in a custom-built, freestanding theater at Disney Springs' West Side at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. It was a contemporary circus performance featurin ...
'', ''
Dralion
''Dralion'' (pronounced Drah-lee-on) was a touring production by the Canadian entertainment company Cirque du Soleil. The show combined elements of traditional Chinese circus with Western contemporary circus, complementing the "East-meets-West" ...
'', ''
Koozå
''Koozå'' is a touring circus production by Cirque du Soleil which premiered in Montréal, Quebec, Canada, in 2007. The show was written and directed by David Shiner, who had previously worked as a clown in Cirque du Soleil's production of ''Nou ...
'', ''
Kurios
''Kyrios'' or ''kurios'' ( grc, κύριος, kū́rios) is a Greek word which is usually translated as "lord" or "master". It is used in the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew scriptures about 7000 times, in particular translating the name ...
'', and ''
Crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...
''.
Vaulting
In chair vaulting, the acrobat jumps or tumbles over a chair. Sometimes the chair is used as a launching platform, and sometimes it is carried by the athlete while performing the vault.
Contortion
Chair contortionists use the chair as a prop for moulding their bodies around.
{{Circus skills
Circus skills