Here’s a recent backstage profile:

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

We had the chance to say hi to Kristina Baskett. She’s actually leaving the show, headed off to Los Angeles for some, I assume, stunt work.

The newest circus water show is opening in Macao.

… a traditional Indian sport in which a gymnast performs poses and feats while hanging from a vertical wooden pole or rope. Mallakhamb also refers to the pole used in the sport. …

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

more videos we posted back in January – crazy gymnastics on a pole

Thanks Warren.

How’s that going? …

The third FIG Academy for Acrobatic Gymnastics was hosted in Montreal (CAN) during the first week of August at the magnificent facilities of the Cirque du Soleil and the nearby National Circus School, which is located across the street.

This Academy was attended by 15 coaches from three federations: Brazil, USA and Canada – a somewhat disappointing number considering that this was a world-wide invitation. …

In the meantime, the Academy Programme continues with a Spanish language Academy for Rhythmic Gymnastics in Brazil and one for Aerobic Gymnastics in Finland in the coming two weeks and a French language Academy for Men’s and Women’s Artistic Gymnastics currently finishing in Senegal.

FIG – Canada hosts third ACRO Academy

Shout out for Hardy Fink, the Director of FIG Education & Academy Programmes. I think he’s doing a great job of building out coach education for all disciplines worldwide.

2008 Olympic bronze medalist Raj Bhavsar said Friday he will retire from competitive gymnastics and join Cirque du Soleil as a performer for the troupe’s show next year in Los Angeles.

Bhavsar, 29, was an alternate for the 2004 Athens Olympics and was selected as an alternate in 2008 but was elevated to the bronze medal-winning team when 2004 gold medalist Paul Hamm withdrew because of injury.

Bhavsar returned to gymnastics in 2009 to debut a skill on parallel bars that was named in his honor, one of two in the code of points that bears his name. He also won two world championship medals and was the 2002 NCAA all-around champion at Ohio State. …

Houston Chronicle

Posted by Don Eckert.

I saw two Quads myself, the summer of 1977, I believe. We were in California for the Santa Monica Beach Fest.

Leave a comment if you can confirm who did it first off swinging rings.

There have been some initiatives.

For example, Cirque pays a cash prize to Senior gold medalists at the Canadian Championships.

Now something new. In 2008 a contractual agreement was signed with Cirque provinding support to the F.I.G. Acrobatic Gymnastics Technical Committee.

Some coaches are financially supported to train athletes in their own gyms. Scholarships were made available to active athletes.

And now Cirque is providing some support to gymnasts working together in a camp in the Ukraine, in preparation for a future world tour with “Quidam”.

I don’t know the details. All this I got from an interview with Bernard Petiot, Cirque du Soleil Vice-President Casting and Performances, at the World Acrobatic Gymnastics championships in Warsaw.

… The show has a cast of 85 acrobats, synchronized swimmers and divers performing in and above a 1.5 million-gallon pool. …

The show is BIG. And WET.

Dragone went on to create another water-based show. Le Rêve, in Vegas.

His third water show opens Sept. 17th, 2010 at the Theatre of Dreams in the City of Dreams casino, Macao.

His House of Dancing Water performance will be the largest water-based production ever staged.

Click PLAY or watch a preview documentary on YouTube.

Looks cool. I’m not sure how the motorcycles are going to fit in.

I enjoyed the second of three Cirque special performances at the Charlottetown Festival in PEI.

Jean-Francois Fabert

Cirque du Soleil will give three performances — Wednesday, June 30, Friday, July 2, and Sunday, July 4, at 9:15 p.m. …

Flight over P.E.I. inspired Cirque du Soleil director

It got great reviews in the local paper. I felt most got good value for the $40 ticket.

Obviously it’s not easy to put together a show for only 3 performances.

The troupe was invited for a local barbecue.

Thanks to hosts Lea and Jim Rand.

All’s good. … Right Jim?

more photos from Charlottetown

Great content, as always.

But it mentions using tea bags to “reduce the pain and speed the healing of the rip“.

This was common with War wounds decades ago, especially when medics had nothing else.

Some tea (green and black) has tannin, not tanic acid.

The two terms are often confused. There’s a clarification on Wiki Answers.

My question to the great gymnastics blog-o-sphere:

Does tannin from a wet tea bag actually do anything for a gymnasts hand rip?

Does it reduce pain?

Does it speed healing?

Or is this another “gym legend”? … A useful placebo?

Five minutes exhaustive research on the WWW couldn’t answer this question conclusively.