The History of Aerial Hoop
When did people first start using this piece of contemporary circus equipment?
Aerial hoops make a regular appearance in modern circus shows, as well as featuring in pop culture: Pink descended to the stage at the 2019 Brit awards in an aerial hoop. Despite their recent prevalence, they don’t commonly appear in older circus photos.
The first circuses were created around 250 years ago when Philip Astley added clowns, strong-men and rope dancers to his trick horse-riding show in London in the 1770s. The idea spread across the rest of Europe and to Russia and America. Circuses continued to grow in popularity until their peak at the end of the 19th century and start of the 20th century.
It was around this time that the most popular types of aerial circus acts were invented. The first flying trapeze act was performed by Jules Léotard in November 1859. Vertical rope acts, such as Corde lisse and Spanish web, use techniques developed by the ancient Indian sport mallakhamb, which was revived in the 19th century. Aerial straps were first performed in China during the Qing dynasty, which ended in 1911.
