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As previously mentioned the origins of sports acrobatics
descends from both the ancient Greeks and the Chinese, when
gymnastics and acrobatics were first grouped together. Gymnastics
was the Greek word for ‘performing naked’. Fortunately
for competitors (and perhaps for the crowd too) this tradition
isn’t maintained, though competitors do wear a minimal
amount of clothing so that judges can evaluate the precise
body-shapes that are involved.
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Chinese acrobatics has a rich national flavour, and it has
been existent in China for more than two thousand years. During
this time Chinese acrobatics has formed its own style. Ancient
acrobatics stemmed from the the way people lived and had a
close link with their productive labour, but despite its popularity
acrobatics in old China was never performed in theatres because
it was looked down upon by the feudal class. However, in 1949
the people's government began developing national arts, and
acrobatics gained a new life. All regions of China now have
their own acrobatic troupes, and the veteran performers are
now able to display their skills. Chinese acrobatics makes
use of costumes, props and lighting too, which represent the
optimism, resourcefulness, and courage of the Chinese people.
In the past forty years and more, many Chinese acrobatic troupes
have toured more than one hundred countries and regions the
world over and promoted friendship and cultural exchanges.
The most famous of these is probably the Chinese State Circus.
At present, there are over 120 of these troupes featuring
more than 12,000 performers.
Throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries circuses
started to become more popular across Europe, and soon there
were many traveling circuses, especially in Eastern Block
countries such as Russia and Bulgaria. Before long these Eastern
Block countries began practicing acrobatics as if it were
a sport – taking the skills learned in the circus and
adding this to the discipline of the sporting arena, holding
regular ’friendly’ competitions against each other.
Russia was the main leader in this movement, combining the
knowledge of their best circus teachers with the same level
of discipline and commitment used in other sports to produce
the best competitors. This, in its earliest form, was the
birth of sports acrobatics.
At the same time as acrobatics was becoming a competitive
sport in the Eastern Block, countries in the West, such as
Great Britain, were beginning to recognise acrobatics as a
beneficial recreational activity. Individuals who weren’t
necessarily the correct shape for traditional gymnastics could
join in and ‘balance’ another smaller acrobat, while
it was great in schools for teaching children how to work
with others and trust other people. This was, however, much
more recreational than the acrobatics of the Eastern nations
where people were often paid to be sports acrobats so that
they could win friendly competitions.
Sports acrobatics was about to become a much bigger sport
though, as in 1973 the International Federation of Sports
Acrobatics (IFSA) was formed and the first world championships
was held in Russia.
Not surprisingly the Eastern countries were by far the best
with China, Russia, Bulgaria and Poland taking all of the
top honors, while Western countries such as Great Britain
and Belgium seemed to be there to make up the numbers.
Over the past 29 years, however, this balance has slowly
started to be readdressed. Countries such as Russia and China
are still the leaders, but as other countries have become
more knowledgeable and begun to take the sport more seriously
they have gradually caught up to the traditional masters.
It is hard to see how anyone could be as good as Russia and
China, as their acrobats are still paid to be the best, they
have grueling training regimes, and they live in a less materialistic
society, but it is safe to say that the gap between the acrobatic
nations is getting smaller.
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