Tight Rope Walker

• Walking high above the floor, the tight rope performers balance on a thin rope, or sometimes a wire, tightened between two supports. Incredible balance is needed in order to stay on the rope and just in case the performer slips and falls, there is a safety net below. A long balance bar can be used for extra support. Some performers juggle while balancing and others do trips such as handstands and flips all while standing on the tiny rope.
  
  

Trapeze Artist

• Trapeze artists are aerial acrobats. They use ropes connected by a bar dangling from the ceiling. The performers typically start the routine on a platform and, while holding the bar and ropes, swing through the air above a safety net. The acrobats flip from one bar to the next doing tricks in the air. These acts can be performed by one person or multiple people. In the group acts, performers sometimes hang from another performer's legs and then propel into the air catching another rope.
  
  

Lasso Tricks

• A lasso is a rope with a loop on the end of it. When the rope is pulled the loop tightens around an object allowing the performer to pull the object in. For a Wild West effect in the circus there can be a lasso performer who ropes bulls or cattle. The performer could also rope inanimate objects placed at a distance.
  
  

Education and Safety

• Since many of the tricks performed at the circus with ropes are considered quite dangerous, it is vital the performer be properly educated and master the craft before performing in front of an audience. There are schools that focus on the education of circus performing and students and choose to specialize in rope acrobatics. It is always important to obtain proper training for these stunts and to never try them on your own without training and safety precautions in place.