Did you know that this kind of circus routine is called "Icarian Games"? I didn't! Well, as you can imagine, the name comes from the Greek myth of Icarus and his flight across the sea... That was a little bit to close to the sun. His poor father Dedalus had to watch him fall from the sky and perish tragically after they escaped the minotaur's labyrinth.
But in the circus, things are sunny and fun! The "Icarian Games" can be described as a discipline of the circus arts that was rarely seen in today's contemporary circus culture until a while ago, but it's now a big centre stage attraction. It is very traditional, and usually presented by members of the same family (which also alludes to the legend). The human juggling is done by using one person's (the porter) feet as a catapult and catcher and the other one (the flyer or voltigeur) as prop for tossing and juggling.
But in the circus, things are sunny and fun! The "Icarian Games" can be described as a discipline of the circus arts that was rarely seen in today's contemporary circus culture until a while ago, but it's now a big centre stage attraction. It is very traditional, and usually presented by members of the same family (which also alludes to the legend). The human juggling is done by using one person's (the porter) feet as a catapult and catcher and the other one (the flyer or voltigeur) as prop for tossing and juggling.
~Ally