Speaking from experience, everything, everything in circus hurts.  When I
was doing it, and I did whimpy things, I remember wearing a tank top once,
and others around me being horrified by the size and quantity of bruises on
my torso.  I have seen more skinned necks and knee pits than I can count
from Chinese pole and trapeze.  Blood stains on circus rigging are normal.

Here are some less painful circus acts:

 Cloud swing has some cool looking tricks that do not hurt so much.  This
is where a thick rope hangs from the cieling in a wide U shape, and you sit
on it like you would a swing set, and get it swinging like a swing set.
Then you can lie down on it, stand on it, wrap your feet around it and hang
upside down, etc.  If anyone offers lessons in this, then this is the best
air act for you to try.

 Happily, falling into a net does not hurt.  What hurts in air acts is
being stretched when you hang, and skinning or bruising body parts on
rigging.

The least painful circus act, to my knowledge, is bicycle tricks like 5
people on a bike at the same time.  As long as you do things where you
climb on and off the moving bike in sync with someone else to balance the
weight, and do not climb onto the shoulders of the bike rider, or anyone
else, this is painless and feels safe.  Some things that look hard, like
wrapping a leg around the bike rider, grabbing you knee with your elbow,
and straightening your other arm and leg so that you stick out and are worn
like a belt, are much easier than they look.  Bicycle tricks are also more
about timing than strength, although you can do more if you have a strong
core and are flexible.  Sadly, more impressive bike tricks also hurt more,
and you have to practice with a partner who will balance your weight as you
move around the bike.  You also need someone to ride the bike around while
you do tricks, and the experience will be intensely painful for that person.

Contact juggling can be pain free. The kind where you roll a ball around on
your hands, and devil sticks are painless learn and do.  Poi is possible,
even with no eyesight, but learning poi involves repeatedly hitting
yourself.  It is probably more painful for men to learn than women (men
should wear a cup while learning).  Ball juggling is more about timing, and
all the catches are close to you.  Ball juggling is not painful, as long as
you juggle light weight things.

Hand balancing can be painless, and generally you are low to the ground.
You have to be althetic to have any height to fall from.  Sadly, the tricks
that look really good are harder tricks that require more strength and
flexibility.

-Wilhelmina Randtke

On Fri, Dec 14, 2012 at 1:22 PM, Karen Coyle <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Rosalyn,
>
> Since others may be in similar circumstances, I thought I'd ask this on
> the list:
>
> The idea of flying is intriguing...
>
>
> however ....
>
>
> due to my age (63), my eyesight (abysmal), and my intense vertigo (my mind
> thinks changing an overhead light bulb is a life-threatening act), is there
> something fun that can be done low to the ground and clumsily? Like maybe
> jumping into the net from the second rung of the ladder? Because I'd love
> to try something like that.
>
> Thanks,
> kc
>
> --
> Karen Coyle
> [log in to unmask] http://kcoyle.net
> ph: 1-510-540-7596
> m: 1-510-435-8234
> skype: kcoylenet
>