Bouncy Wobbly Stuff!

U nicyles, pogo sticks, crazy stilts and rola bola... some people just like to be wobbly on their pins.

Of course the rest of us just watch in awe as feats of balance we can only dream of are performed with ease in front of our disbelieving eyes.

There are many combinations of balancing skills which a circus performer can use, and this page only describes a few. Balancing on a rola bola whilst juggling, or on a unicycle playing a mini guitar, our circus artists perform breathtaking tricks with devil may care style!

Variations on the form

• Unicycles come in the standard size - or giraffe size, which is a favourite of Vinyl Burns.
• Chinese pole can be adapted into a sway pole act, where the performer must scale a tall swaying steel pole and balance precariously in a crows nest on the tip.
• Chair balancing, a routine involving a series of wooden balancing chairs, that the acrobat gradually scales and builds into a tower, all the while performing hair raising balancing tricks many feet in the air!
• Rola Bola is a balancing board on top of a cylinder or series of cylinders. The cylinders can be stacked in various different ways, and the balancing board can be anything from a plank to an ironing board.
• Stilt walking is a definate plus when you want to be seen above a crowd! Stilts can be made at various heights, and combined with circus skills and creative costuming, can deliver amazing creatures and characters that defy imagination.

Staging Requirements

Most balancing and rolling acts require a flat, firm floor area, and enough ceiling height to clear the moves your performers plan to make. A raised stage is ideal, so that the full effect can be seen by all.