Cradle (circus act)
Encyclopedia
The cradle is a type of aerial circus
act in which a performer hangs by his or her knees from a large rectangular frame and swings, tosses, and catches another performer. The aerialist
being swung is referred to as a flyer, while the one doing the tossing and catching is referred to as a catcher. The flyer usually starts and ends standing on the frame above the catcher. The flyer swings holding on to the catcher's hands, performs releases at the top of the swing, and is re-caught in mid-air.
The frame can be static, swinging or standing.
This type of aerial performance has been used in many circuses, both in "big tops" and on stage, including by Cirque du Soleil
and the Moscow State Circus
.
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
act in which a performer hangs by his or her knees from a large rectangular frame and swings, tosses, and catches another performer. The aerialist
Aerialist
An aerialist is an acrobat who performs in the air, on a suspended apparatus such as a trapeze, rope, cloud swing, aerial cradle, aerial silk or aerial hoop....
being swung is referred to as a flyer, while the one doing the tossing and catching is referred to as a catcher. The flyer usually starts and ends standing on the frame above the catcher. The flyer swings holding on to the catcher's hands, performs releases at the top of the swing, and is re-caught in mid-air.
The frame can be static, swinging or standing.
This type of aerial performance has been used in many circuses, both in "big tops" and on stage, including by Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
and the Moscow State Circus
Moscow State Circus
The title “Moscow State Circus” is used for a variety of circuses. Most commonly, it refers to one of the two circus buildings in Moscow, the “” and the “Bolshoi Circus” , or to traveling shows which may or may not be directly related to Russia.The Russian Circus rose to world acclaim during the...
.