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Clip description
During the second part of his rehearsed routine, Con Colleano displays his quick footwork, flair and showmanship. He executes a handstand on the wire, a backward somersault and a toe-to-toe forward somersault before dismounting. The camera then records Colleano rehearsing his backward and forward somersaults in slow motion.
Curator’s notes
Colleano was the first performance artist to perfect the toe-to-toe forward somersault on a wire. He performed his first somersault in 1919 when he was just 20 years old and it continued to be one of the drawcards of his act until he was well into his fifties. As you can see in the slow motion section of this clip, the forward somersault is incredibly difficult because it forces the performer to take his eyes off the wire and land ‘blind’.
