subclass_of aerial straps
Philip Astley ( 8 January 1742  27 January 1814 ) was an ___MASK82___ equestrian , circus owner , and inventor , regarded as ___MASK34___ the " father of the modern circus ". The circus industry , as a presenter of an integrated ___MASK67___ experience that includes music , domesticated animals , acrobats , and clowns , traces its heritage to Astley ' s ___MASK89___ , a riding school that Astley founded in London following the success of his invention of the circus ring in 1768 . Straps , also known as aerial straps , are a type of aerial apparatus on which various feats of strength and flexibility may be performed , often in the context of a circus ___MASK63___ . It is a cotton or nylon web apparatus that looks like two suspended ribbons . By wrapping the strap ends around hands and wrists , the performer performs holds , twists , rolls and manoeuvres , requiring extreme strength and precision similar men ' s rings in gymnastics . Straps are available in various configurations , including those with various types of loops at the ends and those without loops . A straps act usually includes held poses and postures done on the straps , dance moves performed on the floor away from the straps , partner acrobatics done on and off the straps , as well as having the straps pulled up and let down during the act . A circus is a ___MASK83___ of performers that may include clowns , acrobats , trained animals , trapeze acts , musicians , hoopers , tightrope walkers , jugglers , unicyclists , as well as other object manipulation and stunt - oriented artists . The ___MASK36___ ' circus ' also describes the performance which has followed various formats through its 250 - year modern ___MASK48___ . Philip Astley is credited with ___MASK34___ the ' father ' of the modern circus when he opened the first circus in 1768 in England . Early circuses were almost exclusively demonstrations of equestrian skills with a few other types of acts to link the horsemanship performances . Performances developed significantly through the next fifty years , with large scale theatrical battle reenactments becoming a significant feature . The ' traditional ' format , whereby a ringmaster introduces a varied selection of acts that mostly perform choreographed acts to traditional music , developed in the latter part of 19th century and continued almost universally to be the main style of circus up until the 1970s . Clowns are ___MASK37___ performers who employ slapstick or similar types of physical comedy , often in a mime style . H . O . R . S . E . is a form of ___MASK20___ commonly played at the high - stakes tables of casinos . It consists of rounds of ___MASK62___ cycling among : A trapeze is a short horizontal ___MASK95___ hung by ropes or metal straps from a support . It is an aerial apparatus commonly found in circus performances . Trapeze acts may be static , spinning ( rigged from a single point ), swinging or flying , and may be performed solo , double , triple or as a group act . It is officially the last performance of the circus . ___MASK55___ manipulation is a form of dexterity ___MASK62___ or performance in which one or more people physically interact with one or more objects . Many object manipulation skills are recognised ___MASK92___ . Other object manipulation skills are linked to sport , magic , and everyday objects or practices . Many object manipulation skills use special props made for that purpose : examples include the varied circus props such as balls , clubs , hoops , rings , poi , staff , and devil sticks ; magic props such as cards and coins ; sports equipment such as nunchaku and footballs . Any other object can also be used for manipulation skills . ___MASK55___ manipulation with ordinary items may be considered to be object manipulation when the object is used out of its socially acknowledged context and used differently from its original purpose .