By Anna Marcadet
The art of hair hanging uses ancestral techniques of suspension by the hair. Its history seems to be unclear and it’s hard to find information. Although most circus performers believe that this art comes from Asia – from China more precisely – and appeared in the 90s, others describe it as an old discipline or a fairground attraction. I have even heard that these performances came from imaginary legends and freaks shows.
We can argue that hair hanging is a rare discipline and that few people practice it nowadays. Indeed, the discipline flourished by being showed many times, especially by Chinese men, at the beginning of the Twentieth century. Ayala’s family has been a circus family for 3 decades. They made this type of art more visible by performing the craziest attractions in the circus Barnum & Bailey. Although Ayala’s family has continued to perform this art, it had become almost totally forgotten until about 5 years ago. A few people continue to practice it. Sometimes described as a weird and scary show, this traditional act became popular again thanks to two performances: in 2020, Lindsey Sterling released the music video Crystalize as part of the video series Home for the Holidays. Also, the show Capilotractées by the Galapiat Circus, was very much publicised, debated and covered in the media.
«It’s a practice that is transmitted, not learned at school. » The transmission is done within families, from mothers to daughters. Nowadays, it is possible to find some workshops (Ingrid Esperanza) but they are still very rare. Some people think that this art can only be transmitted and cannot be learned whereas others are afraid of the dangers of transmission because of the possible lack of useful information: for example hair hanging can be dangerous for health and hurt your neck or spine.
It is an intriguing and interesting practice even if it is very painful. In a unique way, it leaves a completely free body contrary to other aerials practices. When you are watching this type of aerial act, it really seems to be easy to practice. In fact, this act requires a lot of strength and skills especially when the entertainer shows a whirling.
Hair itself represents femininity and power. It is a “complex material that we can consider as dead or alive” (Sanga Kosonen, circus artist of the Galapiat circus). We also need to know that, technically, a single strand of hair is able to carry 100 g, that we’ve got approximately 150 000 hairs on our skull so that we can lift about 15 tons with our hair.
The steps necessary to prepare oneself for this kind of entertainment are interesting. Indeed, before anything else, artists need to take care of their hair and scalp and have a special diet. When performing they need to have their hair wet before braiding it to have more elasticity and to reduce the pain. Also, they braid their hair in a specific way which needs to be adapted to the apparatus: a ring or a hook.
Finally, the art of the hair hang is a well-guarded world in which there are lots of secrets and lies. Indeed, there are secrets surrounding the way to learn how to practice this art and also about hairstyling according to the type of braiding.
Some artists who perform this art are: Phenix Circus (Eva Szwarcer), Circus Galapiat (Sanja Kosonen, Elice Abonce Muhonen), Erin Blaire, Pamela Pantoja or Collectif Merken, Cabaret 2000, Plaisir Circus, Erin Blaire, Marion Crampe, Ingrid Esperanza, Ramiro Erburu, Lindsey Sterling, Cirque du Soleil (Danila Bim).
Check out for yourself! Watch this video about the art of hair hanging: Passion extrême : l’art de se suspendre par les cheveux – Vidéo Dailymotion
Sources and useful links:
De l’art du cirque carrément tiré par les cheveux ! (ouest-france.fr)
Interview de Stéphane Ricordel – Théatre du Châtelet (chatelet.com)
« Bien sûr que ça fait mal » | BIKINI MAG
Capilotractées – Manège de Reims (manege-reims.eu)
Ingrid Esperanza – CAPILOTRACTÉE WORKSHOPS
Comment fonctionne la pendaison des cheveux | HowStuffWorks
Passion extrême : l’art de se suspendre par les cheveux – Vidéo Dailymotion
Lindsey Sterling, Crystalize, Home for Holidays. URL: Lindsey Stirling – Crystallize (from Home For The Holidays) – YouTube