Acro_dance

An elbow stand, performed as part of an acro dance routine.

Acro dance is a style of dance that combines classical dance technique with precision acrobatic elements. It is defined by its athletic character, its unique choreography, which seamlessly blends dance and acrobatics, and its use of acrobatics in a dance context. It is a popular dance style in amateur competitive dance as well as in professional dance theater, such as Cirque du Soleil. Acro dance is referred to simply as acro by dancers and dance professionals.

Acro is an especially challenging dance style for dancers as it requires them to be trained in both dance and acrobatic skills. Acro dancers must be in excellent physical condition as well, because acro is a physically demanding activity. Although acro is a popular dance style, many dance schools do not teach it, often due to lack of facilities or expertise needed for acrobatic training.

Contents 1 Characteristics 2 Acrobatic Elements 3 Apparel 3.1 Footwear 3.2 Clothing

Characteristics

The dance movements in acro are founded in ballet, jazz, lyrical and modern dance styles. Acro dance movements are not restricted to these dance styles, but the complete absence of these styles will typically cause a dance to be categorized as something other than acro, such as hip-hop or break dance.

A defining characteristic of acro is the smooth transitions between dance and acrobatic movements. Also, a dance must have a significant percentage of dance movement, with respect to its acrobatic content, in order for it to be categorized as acro. For example, a gymnastics floor exercise is not considered to be acro because it has little or no dance movement compared to its acrobatic content, and also because it lacks smooth transitions between dance and gymnastic movements.

Acrobatic Elements

The acrobatic movements performed in an acro dance are referred to as tricks. There are numerous tricks that are commonly performed in acro dances. Acro tricks vary widely in complexity and the skill levels required to perform them.

The types of tricks that can be performed in an acro dance depends on the number of dancers:

• Solo tricks can be performed by independent dancers in solo or group dances. Examples of this are cartwheels and walkovers.
• Double tricks—also known as partnering tricks—can only be performed by a pair of dancers. An example of this is the pitch tuck, in which one dancer forms a "saddle" with her hands. The second dancer steps onto the saddle and then the first dancer thrusts the saddle upward. The second dancer, who is propelled upward with back rotation, lands on her feet after a complete revolution in the air. Acro partners will sometimes execute lifts and adagio in addition to single and double tricks.
• Group tricks generally require three or more dancers. Examples of this are triple cartwheels and bridge pyramids.

Common acro tricks

Solo tricks	Double tricks
Back layout Back tuck Back walkover Cartwheel Chin stand Elbow stand Front aerial Handstand Hand walking Roundoff Side aerial	Double back walkover Double cartwheel Pitch tuck

Apparel

A pair of acro shoes.

Footwear

Acro dancers often wear acro shoes, which are actually jazz dance shoes. Acro shoes are variously called jazz boots, jazz ankle boots, jazz booties and other names, depending on the manufacturer. They are typically laceless, pull-on shoes, with tight-fitting leather uppers that are designed to prevent the dancer\'s feet from shifting inside the shoes. Because of their thin leather uppers and split soles, acro shoes have excellent flexibility, thus enabling dancers to point their toes and maintain proper form. The sole is made of soft, composite rubber so as to provide both traction and padding. Good traction helps to prevent dangerous lateral slipping, and the padding serves to soften the impact when performing tricks such as tucks and layouts, in which a dancer\'s feet may strike the floor at high velocity. Padding is especially important when a Marley floor is not available because uncovered performance surfaces are often hard and rough.

Less commonly, acro dancers may wear partial foot covers such as Foot Paws or Foot Undies, or dance with bare feet. Partial foot covers increase the risk of slipping, and hence injury, but they may be preferred for aesthetic reasons or to enable a dancer to execute turns that would be difficult or impossible with acro shoes.

Clothing

An acro dancer pauses in a handstand. The costume skirt is short—by design—so it will not contact the headpiece when the dancer is inverted.

Acro dancers commonly wear flexible, form-fitting clothing for both safety and aesthetic reasons. Form-fitting clothing is preferred over loose clothing because the latter does not move synchronously with the body and thus may interfere with a dancer\'s ability to maintain control. This is especially important when a dancer is performing tricks, as loss of control can lead to serious injury. Aside from the safety aspect, form-fitting clothing also helps to expose a dancer\'s body lines, which can add significantly to the visual impact of an acro dance performance.

Competitive acro dancers frequently wear costumes when performing at dance competitions. Acro costumes often have loose fabric pieces such as short skirts, but the sizes and locations of these pieces are carefully calculated to ensure that they pose no safety risks. As an extra safety measure, skirts are sometimes pinned or stitched at the back below the waistline so that they will not hang at full length when the dancer is inverted, as in hand walking; this prevents the skirt—which might otherwise become entangled in the dancer\'s hair or costume headpiece—from contacting the dancer\'s head.

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