Banquine is an Italian acrobatic tradition, of which the origins go back to the Middle Ages. This act won a Golden Clown at the International Monte Carlo Circus Festival in 1999. Sometimes together, sometimes alone on a hoop, the performers pivot and twirl through the air, performing stunning feats of grace and dexterity. Drawing its inspiration from dance, acrobatics and the art of manipulation, Cirque du Soleil has transformed this familiar child's game into a unique circus act. As the ropes beat time, a group of 20 acrobats, endowed with exceptional coordination and rhythm perform a steady stream of solo, duo and group jumps and figures.
Artists fly over the stage, attached to trolleys on the overhead tracks.
Suddenly, time stands still as the acrobats, in turn or as a group, drop into the void, stopped only by the ropes looped around their waists or ankles. To haunting music, contortionist and cloth intertwine, separate and embrace again. The translucent fabric occasionally hugs the body of the performer, creating a stunning effect. A gymnastic exercise hailing from Germany, the German wheel is taken to a whole new level in Quidam . Six and a half feet in diameter, the wheel consists of two metal hoops joined at six points.