Because in rope-walking not all ropes are round and not all wires are tight.
This blog has been going for just over a month, and I realize that I’ve been throwing around terminology that some people might not be familiar with. I’m afraid that I’m so absorbed in my passion that I lose sight of the fact that not everyone spends innumerable hours delving into the terminology, techniques, and history of all things tightrope. Hopefully this post will help you make sense of what I write; maybe it will convince you that I’ve spent too much time researching my chosen passion. Either way, here goes!
A first important term I use is equilibrist: someone who balances--someone with good equilibrium. There are lots of things people balance on—unicycles, ladders, stilts, and, of course, ropes and wires. This brings me to my second term, funambulist from the Latin “funis” (rope) and “ambulare” (to walk); in plain English, a “rope walker.” I use this generically to refer to someone who balances on a rope or wire, or other narrow suspended object.
It is a generic term because, as I state above, not all “ropes” are round and not all wires are tight—just like not everything involving a racquet is tennis, and track isn’t just marathons. In addition to tightwires (high and low), there are two other broad disciplines that fall in the rope-walking family: (1) slackwires, and (2) slacklines.
Slackwires (or slackropes) are ropes or wire cables hanging in a loose arc. They are as traditional to circus as tightwires, though less famous. Slackwire is the discipline I haven’t tried yet. Just give me a little more time, I promise to fix that.
A quick aside: if you’re wondering about “tightwire” versus “tightrope,” and “slackwire” versus “slackrope” don’t worry, the terms are pretty much interchangeable. People used to walk on ropes, now they generally use wires, so over time usage has generally shifted toward “slackwire” and “tightwire.” The rope terms still crop up in everyday usage, and they’re not really wrong…they’re just not technically correct unless you find someone who likes to go retro and rope it.
Slacklines are the new addition to the rope-walking family. They aren’t circus, but rather an invention of the rock-climbing community and currently popular in mainstream. In my opinion they’re also the odd duck in the group and not just because of their non-circus origins: despite the name, slacklines aren’t actually slack, they’re tensioned (confusing, yes?). The “lines” aren’t traditional round rope but rather flat, slightly stretchy webbing (woven strap). The stretch means that in spite of tensioning they have the side-to-side instability of a slackwire but move in a tense swaying motion rather than an arcing swinging motion. The tension (and the stretch) gives them a bounce like tightwire. Slackline on one hand is uniquely different from either of its two circus siblings, but on the other hand seems to be a mix of both of them. Slacklining is how I got started. I love being a slacker.
Lastly, I like to add in balance pipe—I wrote about mine in Winter Training Toys—as a sort of cousin in the rope-walking family. A pipe doesn’t move at all, but it is narrow—I like to think of it as a fossilized tightwire. The narrow cylindrical piece of metal used for balance and training is also referred to as a “walking pipe” (Esh Circus Arts) or “tightwire simulator” (Matthew Wittmer).
An easy way to classify the different general disciplines of rope-walking is roughly by tension and the resulting amount of side-to-side movement. A picture is worth a thousand words right? This should help:
My diagram is an approximation: an extremely long highwire, in spite of the guy wires (stabilizing anchor ropes), might have more side-to-side movement than a short, spring-loaded wire used in low-wire performance. Where a slackline falls on this spectrum has to do with the interaction of the length, tensioning, and stretchiness of the line. High sag slacklines resemble slackropes while short, highly tensioned low-stretch lines will be nearly as stable as a tightwire.
The amount of side-to-side movement impacts the rope-walker’s balance strategy. If the rope or line moves a lot from side to side, the funambulist uses his lower body to move or keep the rope under his center of gravity. But if the rope doesn’t move as much, it’s important to keep the center of gravity (torso/upper body) directly over the line. They are two very different skills; for me trying to get on a slackline after working balance pipe is like suddenly having a boat pitching underfoot. Going back to balance pipe after slackline is like trying to stand on solid ground when I’ve still got my sea legs.
If you want to see some of this in action, I have some clips selected below. Not only are there different balance techniques, there’s also a huge variety of what funambulists do on their ropes.
So now you know the ropes that fill my dreams. There’s a lot to rope-walking …and I want to do it all.
A first important term I use is equilibrist: someone who balances--someone with good equilibrium. There are lots of things people balance on—unicycles, ladders, stilts, and, of course, ropes and wires. This brings me to my second term, funambulist from the Latin “funis” (rope) and “ambulare” (to walk); in plain English, a “rope walker.” I use this generically to refer to someone who balances on a rope or wire, or other narrow suspended object.
It is a generic term because, as I state above, not all “ropes” are round and not all wires are tight—just like not everything involving a racquet is tennis, and track isn’t just marathons. In addition to tightwires (high and low), there are two other broad disciplines that fall in the rope-walking family: (1) slackwires, and (2) slacklines.
Slackwires (or slackropes) are ropes or wire cables hanging in a loose arc. They are as traditional to circus as tightwires, though less famous. Slackwire is the discipline I haven’t tried yet. Just give me a little more time, I promise to fix that.
A quick aside: if you’re wondering about “tightwire” versus “tightrope,” and “slackwire” versus “slackrope” don’t worry, the terms are pretty much interchangeable. People used to walk on ropes, now they generally use wires, so over time usage has generally shifted toward “slackwire” and “tightwire.” The rope terms still crop up in everyday usage, and they’re not really wrong…they’re just not technically correct unless you find someone who likes to go retro and rope it.
Slacklines are the new addition to the rope-walking family. They aren’t circus, but rather an invention of the rock-climbing community and currently popular in mainstream. In my opinion they’re also the odd duck in the group and not just because of their non-circus origins: despite the name, slacklines aren’t actually slack, they’re tensioned (confusing, yes?). The “lines” aren’t traditional round rope but rather flat, slightly stretchy webbing (woven strap). The stretch means that in spite of tensioning they have the side-to-side instability of a slackwire but move in a tense swaying motion rather than an arcing swinging motion. The tension (and the stretch) gives them a bounce like tightwire. Slackline on one hand is uniquely different from either of its two circus siblings, but on the other hand seems to be a mix of both of them. Slacklining is how I got started. I love being a slacker.
Lastly, I like to add in balance pipe—I wrote about mine in Winter Training Toys—as a sort of cousin in the rope-walking family. A pipe doesn’t move at all, but it is narrow—I like to think of it as a fossilized tightwire. The narrow cylindrical piece of metal used for balance and training is also referred to as a “walking pipe” (Esh Circus Arts) or “tightwire simulator” (Matthew Wittmer).
An easy way to classify the different general disciplines of rope-walking is roughly by tension and the resulting amount of side-to-side movement. A picture is worth a thousand words right? This should help:
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| [click to enlarge] |
My diagram is an approximation: an extremely long highwire, in spite of the guy wires (stabilizing anchor ropes), might have more side-to-side movement than a short, spring-loaded wire used in low-wire performance. Where a slackline falls on this spectrum has to do with the interaction of the length, tensioning, and stretchiness of the line. High sag slacklines resemble slackropes while short, highly tensioned low-stretch lines will be nearly as stable as a tightwire.
The amount of side-to-side movement impacts the rope-walker’s balance strategy. If the rope or line moves a lot from side to side, the funambulist uses his lower body to move or keep the rope under his center of gravity. But if the rope doesn’t move as much, it’s important to keep the center of gravity (torso/upper body) directly over the line. They are two very different skills; for me trying to get on a slackline after working balance pipe is like suddenly having a boat pitching underfoot. Going back to balance pipe after slackline is like trying to stand on solid ground when I’ve still got my sea legs.
If you want to see some of this in action, I have some clips selected below. Not only are there different balance techniques, there’s also a huge variety of what funambulists do on their ropes.
- Slackwire is the discipline I know the least about, so I only have one clip. The performer in this clip, Li Wei, is the best of the best in slackwire and runs through an amazing number of acrobatic skills.
- Relatively static slacklines more loosely tensioned (having more sway than bounce) are ideal for yoga slacklines.
- Highly tensioned, relatively short lines made of trampoline-like material are ideal for “trickline” slackline.
- Low performance tightwires, which often even have some additional spring added to them, are ideal for acrobatic- and dance-style performances and are a staple of circus fare.
- When funambulists go high, stability becomes critical. Highwires for highwire circus acts are highly tensioned and guy wires (guy lines/anchor ropes) are added to stop side-to-side movement.
- Last but not least, the kings of highwire are the skywalks. These are the longest, the highest wires around, and require significant tensioning and guy-lining. A skywalk is generally done outdoors, often between mountains or skyscrapers, over rivers etc.
So now you know the ropes that fill my dreams. There’s a lot to rope-walking …and I want to do it all.
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