Corde lisse

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Corde lisse is an aerial circus skill or act that involves acrobatics on a vertically hanging rope. The name is French for "smooth rope".

[edit] Description

Corde Lisse moves are normally a combination of held postures and drops using ropes normally made from soft cotton about 25-30mm thick. It is closely related to both silks, another aerial circus skill performed on one or two long strips of strong fabric, often in bright colours and Spanish Web.It requires great skill and strength. Performers do not have any kind of safety net or safety line, relying on their own strength and ability to prevent a fall.

It is also possible for two (or more) people to perform on the same rope, although more than two is very rare. These people can either hang off each other, or both be at different heights on the rope itself.

The most famous use of aerial circus skills such as these has been for the BBC's test-card. Cirque du Soleil also use corde lisse, silks and trapeze in their shows.

[edit] Corde Lisse Skills

There is no single naming convention for the skills on a Corde Lisse. Below is a list of names of moves, some of which are similar to the gymnastic equivalent, or which are a partial description of the move (eg. double foot tie). This is by no means a complete list as people are discovering/inventing new moves all the time.

Some Solo Moves: