Week 6 (10-16 November): The Flying Wallendas

Have you heard about recent Guinness World Records accomplished in Chicago by Nik Wallenda? This 35-year-old tightrope walker completed two high-wire walks between Chicago skyscrapers breaking two world records. One for steepest incline and another for highest walk blindfolded. What’s more, he has done it without any safety net or a harness, despite wind which blowed around 40km/h at that time.

It wasn’t the first time when this daredevil, how he is often called, amazed people around the world. On 2008, Nick broke the world record for the highest and longest bike ride on a high wire. He is also the first person who walked on wire directly over Niagara fall (2012) and crossed the Great Canyon (2013). But how did this extraordinary hobby start?

Let’s get back to year 1905. That year Nick’s great-grandfather Karl Wallenda was born in an old circus family. As tradition said he started performing at the age of six. His career quickened when in 1922 he created a wire group and toured with it around Europe for several years. When one day a whole group fell off the wire newspapers wrote: "The Wallendas fell so gracefully that it seemed as if they were flying", which naturally created the group’s name The Flying Wallendas. And that is the begging of the story. For years The Flying Wallendas were well known around the world by its terrifying and amazing acts (done usually without a net), such as their distinctive feature – the seven-person chair pyramid, which was a world record at that time.

Despite great talent and trained skills The Flying Wallendas had bad days as well. First, when in 1962 their seven-person chair pyramid collapsed resulting in 2 deaths and 2 serious injures. It wasn’t a year later when another Wallendas troupe member died while preforming the wire act and another in 1972… However, the acrobats continued their acts and even repeated a seven-person chair pyramid a few times. When Karl Wallendas was 73 he performed his last walk between the towers of Condado Plaza Hotel, which was not completed. In the middle of the wire he fell off and died. In 2011 Nik Wallenda together with his mother successfully completed this walk.

Nowadays the family is separated and chose different ways of living; however, most of them till this day have performed high wire acts – traditionally as the Flying Wallendas and as Nick. What makes this Wallendas business go on for so many years? In fact, according to Wallendas, the circus business is dying. They try to catch, as many opportunities as possible; however, because of special effects in movies, blue screen etc. their acts are less and less valuable.

Personally I think that nowadays circus art is becoming more and more commercialized. Everything is changing and circus tricks as well. There are still some traditional shows, which get well, for example Cirque de Soiles shows, but I’m sure it is getting harder and harder to make ends meet for smaller circuses. I have noticed the tricks are being adapted to the modern world. Producers redesign traditional equipment and make it available for regular people. Some old circus acts are having their 2nd life. Let me show you some examples. Have you heard about the slack line? What about all these fire shows? Do you know what powerisers are? I’m sure you have seen it at least once.

Sources:

http://www.wallenda.com/

http://nikwallenda.com/