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acrobatics

 
Dictionary: ac·ro·bat·ics   (ăk'rə-băt'ĭks) pronunciation
 
n.
    1. (used with a pl. verb) The gymnastic moves of an acrobat.
    2. (used with a sing. or pl. verb) The art, skill, or performance of an acrobat.
  1. (used with a pl. verb) A display of spectacular virtuosic skill and agility: vocal acrobatics.

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World of the Body: acrobatics
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The specialized art of jumping, tumbling, and balancing, requiring agility and skilful control of the body. The word derives from the Greek akrobatos, which may be translated ‘walking on tiptoe’, but which literally means ‘to go to the highest point’ (akros: highest; batos, from the verb for ‘to go’). While the etymology is Greek, the performing art of acrobatics has roots in ancient Chinese culture, where it emerged in tribal rituals related to daily activities. Work, intertribal relations, and religious sacrifices all had their own corresponding acrobatic movements as the art developed alongside music, song, and dance. Acrobatics has maintained its status as a spectacular bodily art; complex gymnastic feats are now often performed with apparatus such as balls, unicycles, trampolines, tightropes, and trapezes.

— Debra Hawhee

 

Art of jumping, tumbling, and balancing. The art is of ancient origin; acrobats performed leaps, somersaults, and vaults at Egyptian and Greek events. Acrobatic feats were featured in the commedia dell'arte theatre in Europe and in jingxi ("Peking opera") in China. The later use of apparatuses such as poles, tightropes, and flying trapezes made acrobatics a major attraction in circus performances. Its popularity increased in the 20th century with such performers as the Flying Wallendas (see Karl Wallenda).

For more information on acrobatics, visit Britannica.com.

 
Word Tutor: acrobatics
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: Difficult tricks, usually involving flips and somersaults.

pronunciation The trapeze artists performed stunning acrobatics.

 
Wikipedia: Acrobatics
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Acrobat

An acrobat during a high wire act.
Occupation
Names acrobat
Type performing arts
Activity sectors sport, busking, circus, show business
Description
Competencies skills, manual abilities
Related jobs see related jobs

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 motor coordination. Nearly any performance or sport which involves full-body activity-- especially in short, highly controlled bursts of activity-- can be considered acrobatics. Typical examples are, first and foremost, all the subdivisions of gymnastics and trapeze work, but specialized activities like ballet and diving could also be included. In a narrow sense, the term "acrobatics" refers to "acrobatic gymnastics," a specialized subdivision of gymnastics.

Contents

History

Acrobats in a Paris suburb, by Viktor Vasnetsov (1877)

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]

Korean acrobat walking, Jultagi

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 tightrope walking, in the 19th century, a form of performance art, including 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.

Acrobatics in Western history have become a key subject for fine art. An excellent example is Acrobats at the Cirque Fernando (Francisca and Angelina Wartenberg) by Impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir which depicts two German acrobatic sisters. The painting resides at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Eastern history

In China, acrobatics (“Hundred Plays”) have been a part of the culture since the Western Han Dynasty, over 2500 years ago. 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] Today the performance art remains to be one of the most important performances offered within Chinese variety art, mostly referred to in the west as "Chinese Circus".

Education

Traditionally, acrobatic skills were kept within families and passed from parents to children. This is still true especially among family circus groups nowadays. However, most acrobats are now taught by larger scale education systems, as circuses are now made up of many more professionals than they used to be. Many schools specializing in acrobatics art are providing a constant resource of acrobatic artists. Some of these schools are independently operated, and some are supported and affiliated to circuses.

Acrobatic Gymnastics

Acrobatic gymnastics is a competitive sport involving gymnastics and acrobatics that is choreographed and rated by judges. There are five types of events (women's and men's pairs, women's and men's group, involving three and four partners respectively, and mixed pairs). The sport combines dance, tumbling and partnering skills that involves dynamic (aerial) and balance (posed) movements.

History

The first use of acrobatics as a specific sport was in the Soviet Union in the 1930s and the first world championships were in 1974.

In addition to the current five categories, two additional categories for tumbling (men's and women's) were included until the 1999 World Championships, though some groups still involve tumbling events.[4]

See also

References

External links

Commercial acrobatic performers

Videos of acrobat talents


 
Translations: Acrobatics
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Dansk (Danish)
n. pl. - akrobatik
n. - akrobatik

Nederlands (Dutch)
acrobatiek, indrukwekkende vertoning van vaardigheid

Français (French)
n. pl. - acrobatie, aisance remarquable
n. - acrobatie

Deutsch (German)
n. pl. - Akrobatik, Kunststücke
n. - Akrobatik, Kunststücke

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. pl. - ακροβασίες, ακροβατικά

Italiano (Italian)
acrobatica, acrobazia

Português (Portuguese)
n. pl. - acrobacia (f)

Русский (Russian)
акробатика

Español (Spanish)
n. pl. - acrobacia
n. - acrobacia

Svenska (Swedish)
n. pl. - akrobatik

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
杂技, 巧妙手法, 技巧, 杂技表演, 特技飞行

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. pl. - 雜技, 巧妙手法, 技巧, 雜技表演, 特技飛行
n. - 雜技, 巧妙手法, 技巧, 雜技表演, 特技飛行

한국어 (Korean)
n. pl. - 곡예[비행]

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 軽業, 曲芸, 軽業の演技

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الجمع) ألألعاب ألبهلوانيه, ألبهلوانيات‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. pl. - ‮לוליינות, אקרובטיקה, דבר המבוצע בקלות יתרה‬
n. - ‮אמנות הלוליינות (אקרובטיקה), אקרובטיקה‬


 
 

 

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
World of the Body. The Oxford Companion to the Body. Copyright © 2001, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
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