Washington Trapeze

The Washington Trapeze, also known as the 'Heavy Trapeze,' features a much thicker and wider rigid bar compared to a standard flying trapeze. It is heavily weighted and often has a rotating apparatus at the center. This allows performers to spin continuously while executing their tricks.

The Washington Trapeze is uniquely designed for balancing acts, most notably head-balancing stands and one-arm handstands. Performers will often climb a wire cable suspended from the trapeze to the ceiling to perform poses high above the bar. It requires immense core strength and spatial awareness.

The apparatus is named after a 19th-century circus performer known as 'Professor' Washington, who allegedly invented the heavy swinging bar. It was historically used in European circuses for strength-based acrobatics. Over time, it evolved to include the complex head-balancing routines seen today in Cirque du Soleil.

Because performers balance entirely on their heads or hands on a small, moving apparatus, safety protocols vary, but catching wires and safety lunge lines are commonly used during practice. Performers must remove the safety cables once the routine begins to allow for full rotation. Many elite circus performers still execute head-balances high in the air without a net.