Amateur circus life

Front matter

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Contents

CHAPTER PAGE

I Tumbling i

II Health, Strength, Grace .... 3

Chapter I Tumbling

Tumbling is known to have great value for physical development. It is the best basis of all gymnastics. Occasionally it is taught to advanced amateurs — or attempts at teaching it are made. But it is never taught systematically, for no system has yet been devised to adapt tumbling practically for the use of amateurs.

The chief mistake consists in trying to teach to beginners one of the most dangerous of all tumbling tricks, the somersault in the air, or 'air-turn' as it is called. To learn this one must have an exceptional teacher, must have a muscular development quite uncommon among pupils of 12-16, and must practise unremittingly. Such conditions are very rare indeed.

The fine art of tumbling is generally attempted in the wrong way and is hardly ever taught to the boys and girls of 12-16 who would most benefit by it.

What is needed is a system of simple tumbling which can be taught in classes by people who are not acrobats, which will delight the pupil, will be progressive in its various feats, and sufficiently difficult to remain interesting for two or three years. At the end of this period the pupil can go on to advanced tumbling, or better still, if there be opportunity, to fine competitive athletics.

Since Archange Tuccaro wrote, I find no one who has discussed the philosophy of this method of developing the body. Therefore this book is written. It proposes to employ the simpler movements of tumbling, systematise them, arrange them for classes, and so utilise the deep interest of boys and girls in the circus, the vaudeville stage — in a word, the acrobatic art — as an impelling force, that they will joyfully endure the tedious and prolonged practice which develops perfect bodies.

Chapter II Health, Strength, Grace

Every one desires to be well, strong, and graceful. Every one understands more or less clearly that one is more likely to reach the best in life if he or she is well, strong, and graceful. The point is to become so, not simply to talk about it.

People between twelve and sixteen years old as a rule have the time and opportunity to get strength, health, and grace; at least they have the time to do what this book will tell you to do. Some of them have the opportunity to play many games and get a little calisthenics or drill. But very few have the time to play enough games to obtain the best results. So this book is written to explain how the many, who lack time and games enough, may get the best of health, strength, and grace and meanwhile have the good time which helps to make up for the tedious work, patience, and courage needed.

The delightful experience of taking part in a good successful show is worth a lot of practise, especially if one feels that strength and grace are coming steadily.

Health, generally speaking, is the result of the exercises one must practise in order to get strength and grace. Or as an instructor might put it, strength comes from the proper development of the muscles and grace from the efficient control of the muscles by the nerves and brain. It is not necessary between twelve and sixteen to bother much with the theory of all this, only to fix one's mind and will upon a steady daily practise of these ten elements about to be described. If in addition to this you get a little calisthenics or drill every day in school and a fair amount of games, in a year or two you wall find that you have health, strength, and grace. With these precious possessions everything you wish to do in life will be just so much easier. Good dancing, star tennis, good work in. school, fine quick work in an office, shop, or

HEALTH, STRENGTH, GRACE 5

factory; in short, efficiency — all the things which are so very desirable, will be so much the easier to attain.

It is a common idea that the best muscles are hard, bulky muscles. This is not true. For a boy or girl the most valuable kind of muscle is soft when flexed. What is needed is strong quickly responsive muscle, and this means soft muscles when flexed — hard when contracted. Heavy work produces slow hard muscles. Sandow acquired a very fine development starting with a not very wonderful body. He did it by light work. His muscles flexed were very soft. By endless practice and patience and much time spent he had acquired an unusual control of them. I was much impressed to see him call the name and bunch up a muscle of the back that most of us do not know by name and have no separate control of.

Also, a common difficulty with boys who stick too much to heavy work or calisthenics is that their muscles "go dead," become stale. You see this also with professional acrobats who are ignorant and practise too much; or boxers who do not train intelligently. The boy or girl at fourteen should be full of life, quick in all movements. Instructors have to look out for this. I have always found it best to practise simple tumbling about an hour not more than six times a week, if possible not more than once a day, and to rest two full days before a show.

When you see the perfect grace of a good trapeze performer, remember that it results from instantaneous or, better said, perfect control of the muscles by the brain and nerves, and that such grace may be yours if you will pay the same price of steady, conscientious practise of the ten elements of simple tumbling.

Now there is no such thing as an impromptu on the stage or in the circus.

Amateurs who try to do something on the spur of the moment simply make fools of themselves and bore their audience. Either you know your act or you do not.

If you know it, you can do it at any time. To know your act means to know every little turn so that you can always do each movement

HEALTH, STRENGTH, GRACE 7

properly, smile at the right time, and make your points.

In the 'Tath to the Stars," for instance (see illustration 12), the Topmounter — that is, the boy at the top of the pyramid — must walk up erect with a gallant air.

If he goes up on his hands and feet he looks like a monkey and spoils the picture. When on the Understander's shoulders, he must be firmly held or he cannot do his work. All the staircase must stand solidly. So it is and must be with anything you wish to present before an audience. It is necessary to learn it properly and thoroughly.

Therefore the best way is to really master the ten elements at the beginning, although I will here make the exception that a good show can be given before any member of the class has learned the front and back handspring.

Chapter III The Ten Elements Of Simple Tumbling

We cannot in this world do anything much worth doing without some tedious study and work. Into this chapter I will put all the study and work that is required. Get it thoroughly and all the rest will be interesting and delightful. If you do not learn it thoroughly you will not succeed in what you wish to do. All of these directions are put in for a good reason and nothing is here written which it is unnecessary to learn. The best way to learn these elements is to master one or two at a time and get some one to tell you, if you are not fortunate enough to have an instructor, whether or not you do each thing properly.

The last — the handsprings — you will hardly

learn without an instructor. Two working

together can sufficiently help each other on

the other nine elements. Remember that

daily practise of simple tumbling for about an hour, five and not more than six times a week, is what you need and the price you must pay supposing that you are enthusiastic and determined to achieve a splendidly developed body. As I have said, there is rarely time enough to do this by playing games. That becomes clear as one grows older. Apparatus work amounts to little before sixteen and calisthenics can be taken only in limited quantities. Once the boy or girl of 12-16 obtains a good development these things are all fine, but before the development comes they are not very practical. Simple tumbling you can begin at ten, and it will quickly bring the development you need for other things.

As far as I know, there is no good book on tumbling for boys. All that I have seen desire the learner to master back and front handsprings, and, above all, the air-turns — back, front, full- and half-twisters. Very good if you are to be a professional and have the time to practise; but how many boys who work or go to school can give the necessary three hours a day and command the instruction of a good acrobat while practising? In no other way lo AMATEUR CIRCUS LIFE

can you learn these hard tricks. Also, on account of the danger, it is foolish to try air-turns unless, besides having the required time and supervision, you are old enough to be very careful. Nearly all the accidents among professionals, careful as they are, come from air-turns. A little slip or balk, and there is a broken leg or worse. So for boys who have little time to practise, it is better to cut out air-turns altogether. Leave air-turns alone until you get to college, and master these other tricks I am going to tell you about. For they are not risky and will enable you to give as pretty a show as you like.

The best way to practise a class is to form them in line according to size, the smallest first, and bring each on the mat in turn to try the trick. A class is best composed of two little boys for Topmounters, two big boys for Understanders and four medium sized for other parts, and the same is true for a class of girls.

If there are too many in the line, it takes too long a time to get around and each is standing still too long. Eight more or less green boys

THE TEN ELEMENTS ii

is the right number — ten when they are well broken in — and when the class has been trained a while, you can work two classes side by side.

The first thing to do, as the class practises, is to settle upon the Topmounter. For pyramids and all double work, such as 2-High Falls, the Topmounters ought to be intelligent and brave, as light as possible, and also strong and obedient. Very important work is that of these Topmounters. If they do not know their parts, the Understanders cannot do theirs.

The ten elements of simple tumbling to be mastered are: The Salute. The Roll. The Headstand. Cart-wheels. Handstand. Handwalking. Double Work. Handsprings. Pyramids. Diving.^

The Salute. This is very important.

You will see all performers at a circus salute

1 The order in which these are practised must vary according to the needs of the class and the judgment of the instructor. It is not well to work too long at any one. I begin always with the first three. Pyramids may come in at any time, the front handsprings after handstands and diving. Back handsprings I leave to the last. The roll is the most important. The shoulder-mount and the 2-High Fall are naturally used in "brother acts"; but if the instructor cares to do the work of Understander, these are very useful for all the class in teaching nerve and balance.

the audience with their hands before they begin, and they use the same method of expressing thanks for applause — if they get any. This courteous custom has come down for hundreds of years from the Roman and Greek shows. It is exceedingly difficult to teach boys. Girls learn it more easily. There are a number of styles, but two are sufficient for ordinary use. The first is shown in illustration I. Feet opened out, heels together, body straight in balance, head up, smile, arms raised, and bent a little at the elbow, the edge of the hand toward the audience, hand$ slightly cupped, fingers and thumb close together. The whole position should be graceful and balanced. In the illustration the class is trying to do it, and there is something wrong with each one after three weeks' practise. Probably this class, an exceptionally clever lot, could not master this simple position without two months' steady effort.

The second style is well shown in illustration 2. The arms must be level with the shoulders, and exactly in line with them, neither forward nor back, head erect, smile.

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Now we begin to work on the mat; one fifteen feet long by three feet wide is the best, and two to three inches thick. (Only for style in show-time lay a red carpet over it, which must not be slippery.) Such a mat costs about fifteen dollars, and other accessories, such as hoops, et cetera, three or four dollars.

The Roll. (Illustration 2.) Place your hands on the mat, duck your head, roll on your rounded back over and up on your feet, drawing them in well. In doing this you must not strike your head nor bump your back. All your weight should be carried on the hands and back. To duck your head and keep it from striking the mat is the most important part of the roll. You hit the mat first with the shoulders. Gradually you will learn to carry nearly all your weight on the hands and roll smoothly and easily on your rounded back without bumping it, and evenly up on to your feet. When you are on your feet, stand up straight and make a salute with your hands.

If you overbalance forward or back, throw your head the opposite way and that will stop you. Do not try the roll without a mat until you have thoroughly mastered it. Do not go on to the dive until you have the roll completely and correctly. You need the roll to finish nearly all tricks, and it is best to learn it first.

A smooth, easy roll, made without striking the head or bumping the back and then coming to a standing position with a good balance, requires steady work. Do it slowly at first, until you get the right motion, then, after a lot of practise, faster and faster. The hands should never be placed on the legs, as in illustration 2.

The Headstand. Having made sure of the roll, the next thing is to learn to stand on your head.

Mark out on the mat a triangle measuring twelve to eighteen inches on each side. Place your head on one point and your hands on the other two. The instructor may take hold of your ankles and pull you up straight. Push on your hands and keep the weight on your

3. HEADSTANDS

4. BRIDGE AND HANDSTAND

5. Middle Position Cartwheels m hands and head. When the body is straight up over your head — the top of your head, not the forehead — put your legs up. straight and point your toes. After enough practise you can do this alone. Get some one to tell you if head, neck, body, legs and toes are in one straight line (illustration 3). Until you are used to the upside-down position, it confuses you, and until the muscles become strong you cannot push up to, and hold, a correct position. The hands, of course, are to tlxe front. At first, being upside-down, you will naturally put them at the back. Also, at first you will push too hard on the hands, perhaps, and go over. Then duck your head and roll over to your feet. Do not get discouraged if you cannot get this quickly. Two of the boys in the picture learned it in three weeks. When you have it, you can place your hands and head correctly on the mat, get your weight on the hands and head, draw the feet and knees close to the body, push all straight up over the head, shove the feet straight up in line, pointing the toes, and hold that position. Not for long, however, nor to do it longer than some other boy. Nothing is more silly or useless than to try that.

Cart-wheels. A cart-wheel is left or right, depending upon which hand touches the mat first. We begin with the left. Place the left hand on the mat; throw the right leg up in the air; jump with the left leg, throwing yourself so as to land on the right hand, both legs being up in the air; then turn and land first on the right leg and then on the left. The arms, as in the handsprings, must be stiff, and, at the finish of the turn, the right gives a shove which brings you up quicker to the standing position in which you began. The instructor, or any one else, will help you, standing at your back and holding you around the waist. As long as you keep the arms stiff, nothing can happen except to tumble backward on the floor. The true position is with the arms and legs as in illustration 5, like the spokes of a wheel, and, when you get an even motion, the arms and legs will be a little bent.

The right cart-wheel is the same, except that you begin with the right hand down and the back turned the other way.

The most effective trick in cart-wheels is to throw a string of rights and lefts alternately, but this — though well worth the effort — takes a great deal of practise, and does not look well unless done quickly and smoothly.

Handstand. Place the hands on the mat about two feet apart; keep the arms stiff; curve the body and legs up in the air; curve the head up as far as you can ; put the feet together and point the toes; do not bend the knees ; bend the body at the waist as much as you can. After practise you will get a balance which you can hold. At first, in practising the handstand, you need some one to hold you in position. Then practise against the wall. Place your hands on the floor about eighteen inches from the wall, or whatever distance suits your height. Keep the arms stiff; throw one foot up against the wall and then the other. In coming down, put one foot down on the floor first then the other, and you will not bruise your knees. Keep the arms stiff, so as not to crumple up and bang your head on the floor. Curve the body as much as you can and keep the head well up. (See handstand in illustrations 4 and 23.

After you get the balance against the wall, push away an inch or so with your heels and hold the balance. Do this two or three times night and morning, and in a few weeks you can do it on the mat without any one to help you. Then you can begin, little by little, to walk on your hands. Always come down from the handstand on the mat by ducking your head and doing a roll.

HandwaLKING. To practise this, use the trick called the ^Wheelbarrow." (Illustration 6.) Let half the class stand on their hands, and the other half take the feet of the first half on their shoulders. The four doubles walk in file from the stage steps to the mat, and up and down the strong little handwalking double staircase of two treads on each side, each step being four inches high, eight wide, and sixteen long. After coming down the staircase, each pair do a roll, finishing with the second salute.

Double Work. The first thing to teach in double work, is the shoulder-mount. Take

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THE 2-HIGH FALL

7. 1st Position

8. Falling.

9. No. 2 Salute the Topmounter's hands as shown in illustration A. He places the right foot on your bent right leg as near the body as he can (illustration b). Pull him up, and he can place the

C D

Other foot up on your left shoulder (illustration c). He then draws up the right foot to your right shoulder, and stands erect, steadying himself by pressing his legs against the sides of your head. You, the Understander, then drop the Topmounter's hands and hold his legs tightly against your head, grasping them just below the knees. Both stand straight as in illustration D. The Topmounter must hold his head up, fold his arms, and smile — always practise smiling. At first the Topmounter is wobbly and walks all over your neck — he is so scared. If the Topmounter loses his balance (there must always be some one placed behind to watch and catch him at first), the Understander should lean forward so he can jump to the mat. Be careful not to hold his legs and trip him. Before long, the Topmounter will learn to go up straight, keeping close to the Understander. The Understander must not straighten up his right leg until the Topmounter has his left foot firmly planted on his shoulder and has begun to pull up to position. As soon as both are in good balance, try the fall. Both lean forward and fall, keeping in a straight line (illustrations 7, 8 and 9) until the Topmounter cannot stay any longer on the Understander's shoulders. He jumps to the mat, and both do a roll, coming to the salute as in the illustration. In this picture the less trained of the two Topmounters has crumpled up, his Understander is trying to hold him, and the two are not in line nor in balance. He is also looking sideways and not straight ahead in the first position. After both Topmounters are in position and ready, the manager gives a signal for the fall. One pair is at each end at opposite sides of the mat, and, falling past each other, a pleasing effect is produced. If the rolls are smartly done, an audience will hardly notice a little defect in the fall, but the camera shows it clearly. The Understander must be careful not to hold the Topmounter's legs so as to trip him when he wishes to jump.

Handsprings. These are back and front according to the direction you go. The back handspring is generally called a back flip.

In learning handsprings use a "mechanic." This is a broad strong belt of canvas, soft enough not to cut, which buckles around the waist with two or three small straps. Fasten two small rings outside in the middle line of the belt and a little back of where the arms fall, and in them catch two snap-hooks, with swivel hpads, fastened at the end of soft ropes about three feet long. These ropes are strongly held by a person at each side, so that, when you throw back, you will not strike your head on the mat.

It is sometimes convenient to pass two long 14-inch ropes through one single and one double pulley (fastened high up about twelve feet apart) and attached to the belt ropes. Both come down on the same side of the mat and the instructor can hold both in one hand, leaving a hand free to help the pupil turn.

Now throw your hands over your head; curve your body back; keep your arms stiff; land on your hands on the mat; jump with your feet, and throw them over to the mat. At first you will not get over, and the instructor will help you with one hand. Be sure to keep the arms stiff so as not to knock the head, and presently you will begin to get over alone. After that, you do not need the mechanic, and the instructor can put one hand under your back and help a little until you can do this back flip alone. Always practise on a mat at first or you will bruise your hands and feet.

I have prepared a show without attempting the back handspring, and gotten on very well ; but, naturally, each additional element of the ten enables you to make more combinations and give a better show. The forward handspring is easier.

Walk to the mat, put your hands down as for a handstand, jump, and go over to your feet. Fix your mind on keeping your arms stiff. If you bend the arms you will not get over and will perhaps knock your head. The instructor will heip by using the mechanic, which is better at first, or by putting his hand on the front of your shoulder and giving a push as you go over. Learn the handstand and practise handwalking a great deal first, as these two are most helpful in learning the handspring.

Professionals as a rule teach the bender before the back flip. Hold the pupil around the waist and let him bend over backwards, placing his hands on the mat as near his feet as possible. When he can do this without being held, he has only to learn to keep his arms stiff and the little jump needed for the flip is easy. Archange Tuccaro wrote his book on tumbling three hundred years ago. He gives a funny little illustration of his method. In this the boy bends over the instructor's leg and the soft muscles of the thigh make an admirable cushion for his back. (Illustration lo.)

For a man or big boy, it is common for the instructor to take hold of one leg and the back or a belt and throw him, but this has always seemed to me the slowest method of teaching the back flip.

If a boy is stiff, cannot learn a bender, and does not weigh over loo pounds, I put one arm around his waist, the other under his knees, and throw him over to his feet.

Before long he is used to turning in the air, which is about one half of what he has to learn.

Then as soon as he can be relied on to keep his arms stiff so that he will not knock his head, one hand under the back is enough as you help him over. Pretty soon he can get over alone and will shortly get the correct and easy motion of a back flip. After that he can learn to do spotters or a string of flips.

Pyramids. There are many of these.

II. PYRAMID. ADORATION.

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12. PYRAMID. PATH TO THE STARS

Lighted balloon is balanced on Topmounter's right hand.

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Two, "Adoration," and the 'Tath to the Stars," are useful.

Adoration. (Illustration 11.) Three on their hands and knees, shoving close together, arms braced across. Two above them doing the same. The Topmounter goes up quickly from the back, salutes, jumps down, and does a roll. The two seconds dive down and roll. The three Understanders roll. All form at the end of the mat and salute; run back to the steps. This requires practise. If the Understanders and seconds are not steady, the Topmounter cannot go up and is invariably blamed by the rest. The Topmounter must not hesitate and must make a graceful salute, or the effect is bad. All must come smartly through the rolls to the final salute.

Path to the Stars. This is a very pretty pyramid if well done. Form a solid and even staircase (as shown in illustration 12), ending in the strongest Understander. The Topmounter gracefully (more or less) walks up this and stands on the shoulders of the Understander, who must hold him firmly. The staircase behind braces the Understander. To the Topmounter is handed a sort of paper balloon, sold in trick-shops, or a dazzler cut short, and a lighted taper. He balances the balloon on right hand, lights it, and throws down the taper {cue for lights). Instantly the lights in the hall are snapped off. The balloon burns down to the hand, watched by the Topmounter with an anxious smile. But just before the flame reaches it, the balloon sails up and drops a shower of silver stars {cue for lights). The lights are snapped on, the Topmounter and Understander do a 2-High Fall, all the rest roll, one after the other, coming up to the second salute, and run back to steps.

Diving. I have left to the last the directions for diving, for the reason that, in this sort of a show, rolls and diving are the most important of all the tricks. AFTER YOU HAVE MASTERED THE ROLL, let the instructor hold a stick horizontally about a foot above the mat. Walk up to it slowly, fall over on your hands, duck your head, and roll. Be especially careful to keep all your weight on your hands and not to strike your head on the mat. Practise this until you can run up to it and go over properly, banging neither your head nor your back. Each time roll up on your feet to saluting position. If your heels come over and strike the mat, draw them in. When you get this, the stick is raised a little and practise continues until the stick is about waist high.