Silks

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Aerial Silks (also known aerial tissue/tissu, aerial silk, aerial ballet in silk, aerial contortion or aerial curtain) is a circus art where a performer or performers hang and perform acrobatics while suspended by a special fabric.

1 Rigging
2 Selecting Fabrics
3 Additional Information
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Rigging

While there are many variations, the basic order for rigging aerial silks is:

                 Mount point
                      |
                  Carabiner
                      |
             Span Set (Optional)
                      |
   Carabiner (Optional, used with Span Set)
                      |
                    Swivel
                      |
                  Carabiner
                      |
Rescue 8, Fabric Bell or other aerial hanger
                      |
            Aerial Silks / Fabrics

[edit] Selecting Fabrics

Fabric under the name of 'nylon tricot' is most commonly used by performers, though fabrics which have this name do vary. When choosing fabrics for this act, there are a number of issues one must take into account.

Stretch
- Low stretch fabrics. Low stretch fabrics are easier to climb than medium stretch fabrics, but they are not as soft for big drops.
- Medium stretch fabrics. Medium stretch fabrics are nice for drops, but are a little harder for beginners to climb

Width. Above 75 inches, width is mostly a personal choice.
- 60" - Recommended for children only. Not recommended for teens and adults
- 75”
- 90”
- 108”

Length
- Length is a function of the height of the space available. Keep in mind that silks must be TWICE the desired height. Silks will be hung from the middle so that there are two separate strands of silks.
- For beginners, it is beneficial if the fabric to comes down past the ground, allowing them to practice wraps at a lower level where they can be spotted.
- For intermediate users and above, it is sufficient if the fabrics to come down to the ground.

[edit] Additional Information

Some silks performers prefer to use dried and crumbled resin on their hands and feet to increase the friction and grip on the fabric.

[edit] References

Aerial Circus Training and Safety Manual (ISBN 0-88100-136-8) Google link for this book

[edit] External links

Suppliers of Aerial Silks
- Nimble Arts (sells fabrics and related rigging)
- Custom Built Equipment (sells fabrics and related rigging)
- Unicycle Voltige (sells a fabric bell and related rigging)