Jump Rope Videos

This video is from the 2007 Circus Smirkus intermediate camp showcase. Circus Smirkus is a youth oriented circus (the stars of the show are 10-18 years old) based in Vermont. They have summer camps and school programs where you can learn the fundamentals of being a circus performer. They also have a 2 month long Big Top Tour each summer. If you are interested in running away to join the circus, they are now accepting applications for the 2008 Circus Smirkus Big Top Tour.

This is a performance by some Russian gymnasts in Moscow from 2004. They do some nice work with long ropes. Long ropes are great for performances where the audience is seated far back from the action, like at a basketball halftime show. It’s big and easy to see from far away. One of the nice things about long rope tricks is that they don’t have to be overly difficult to look really cool and make a good impression on an audience. Tricks like the rainbow and the umbrella are good examples of long rope tricks that aren’t very difficult, but make a nice visual spectacle for the audience.

Happy jumping!

Check out these break dancers in NY. This is a cool take on the classic human jump rope trick.

Clowns. On stilts. Jumping rope. And I thought Footnotes coach Roger Crozier was tall…

The King Charles Troupe is an amazing group of performers. They have a basketball-comedy act that is performed while riding on unicycles. Just in case that isn’t difficult enough for you, they go ahead and throw in some jump rope while sitting atop their unicycles.

Just like our All-Star team, a lot is expected of the King Charles performers both on stage and off. When I read through their website, I found a few quotes that really resonated with me and echo what I expect of the top jumpers in our sport.

“Our group is not really about expertise on unicycles. It’s about the character of our members, what type of people we are and become.”
- Floyd “Sweets” Harrison

“Unicyclists are a dime a dozen. What makes you a King Charles Rider is what you do when you get off that unicycle.”
- Jerry King, 1908-1996, Founder, The King Charles Troupe

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Part 2:

This is another nice side show jump rope demonstration.

Have you ever been at a tourist attraction or sporting event or festival of some kind and stumbled upon a random jump rope performance? I’m not talking about the kind of jump rope performance that is typical for our sport, but more of a side show acrobat style of performance. It’s happened to me a few times. It always serves to remind me that there are many different styles of jumping out there.

I didn’t have a good category for this type of video. I don’t really consider it performance art like Cirque Du Soleil, so the best I could come up with was “Side Show”. I think I’ll stick with that for now unless someone else has a better suggestion.