Stunt Shows and Trampoline Acts

Action you can watch live

Not every stunt happens on a film set. Theme parks, fairs and festivals stage live stunt shows with car chases, high falls and fight scenes performed in front of an audience. Because there are no second takes, the shows are rehearsed until every performer knows exactly where to be on every count.

Behind the drama are hidden mats, rigging, timed effects and a crew watching every move. Shows can be stopped instantly if anything looks wrong.

The trampoline story

The modern trampoline was built in 1936 at the University of Iowa by gymnast George Nissen and tumbler Larry Griswold, who stretched canvas over a metal frame with springs. Nissen later took the name from the Spanish word for a diving board. Trampoline became an Olympic gymnastics event in 2000, and top athletes can bounce several metres high while twisting and somersaulting.

Show performers have their own style. In trampoline wall acts, acrobats bounce between a trampoline and a set built like a building facade, running, flipping and seeming to defy gravity in comic, perfectly timed routines.

Acrobatic troupes and the circus

Circus companies made acrobatics a stage art. Cirque du Soleil, founded on 16 June 1984 in Baie-Saint-Paul, Quebec, by former street performers, became known worldwide for blending acrobatics, music and theatre. Many acrobatic troupes, street show teams and freerunning crews now perform at festivals and events.

Their performers often come from gymnastics, dance, circus schools or parkour, and they train together daily to keep routines safe.

Applaud, do not imitate

A backyard trampoline is not a stage rig, and a show set is designed and checked by professionals. The flips you see in these shows come from years of coached training with spotters and safety equipment.

Everything on this page is performed by trained professionals. Please do not try to copy it. If parkour inspires you, start at a proper parkour gym with qualified coaches.

A night at the show

Part of the magic of a live stunt or acrobatic show is the relationship with the crowd. Performers read the audience, build the tension and save the biggest moments for the finale. Hosts often explain a little about how a stunt is done safely, which only makes the applause louder.

Many shows also run workshops or open training sessions led by their coaches, a great way for young fans to discover the basics in a supervised setting.

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