Acrobatics and dance are performed while hanging from lengthy strips of fabric in the circus art form known as aerial silks. As much as we would love to put a time stamp on it, the history is not quite clear.We do know that aerial silks has a long history that begins with 19th-century circus acts.
Aerial performances were created in the early days of the circus using ropes or nets by the performers. But, a French Canadian gymnast by the name of Andre Simard experimented using fabric instead of ropes in the late 20th century.
Aerial silks became more well-known in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s as a result of the efforts of artists like Terry Sendgraff, who introduced the discipline to the San Francisco Bay Area. Aerial silks have now been a mainstay of contemporary circus shows, and the skill has developed to encompass trickier and more dangerous moves.
Today, Aerial silks is a popular art form among enthusiasts and performers worldwide. Thank you Andre Simard and all other pioneers who have shaped what silks is today.
