Word of the week: Hand to Hand

Every two Mondays, learn more about Circus arts and their vocabulary! 

Hand to hand is a demanding acrobatic discipline performed by two or more acrobats on the ground in which the carrier executes various moves involving strength, balance, elevation and flexibility by carrying the flyer on the hands or sometimes the head..

There are two forms of Hand to Hand:  Dynamic Hand to Hand and Static Hand to Hand. 
Dynamic Hand to Hand makes use of the entire performance space with much larger movements and a faster rhythm to some moves, since the carrier provides the propulsion via a push of the arms to the flyer, who is able to perform different acrobatic jumps landing on the shoulders of the partner, another carrier, or the ground. Several individual types of acrobatics, synchronized or not, are often added to the number. Because of certain qualities and the fact it is practiced by two acrobats, Dynamic Hand to Hand is similar to Banquine.

Static Hand to Hand often is executed in a smaller space, because the carrier and flyer perform only moves involving strength and balance with no great need to move through space. The feats of balancing and strength are presented in a slow manner, so that the audience can fully appreciate the skill and endurance of the acrobats.