Life As A Balancing Act
A young girl asked the tight ropewalker how he first became involved in his current profession.
His response was, ‘Can’t remember really, I think I just fell into it.’
Imagine yourself 20 metres (66 feet) above the ground on a platform, as thousands of faces watch and wait for you to perform. Now imagine taking a step, with only a 1/2-inch metal wire between you and the ground. Welcome to the world of high-wire.
High-wire’s roots are as old as ancient Egypt and first century China, where the art of “rope dancing” was performed over knives. In the 1850s, Jean Francois Gravelet “The Great Blondin” received world acclaim for cooking and eating an omelette (complete with stove and neatly set table) on a high-wire stretched over Niagara Falls.
