ABSTRACT
The balancing act also implies that one is navigating between opposites, trying to consolidate differences, and even attempting to bridge Heaven and Earth. The luxury of looking up at the heavens is thus owing to the big toe that is firmly dug into the soil. The tightrope is also obviously a connector between contrary realms. The tightrope walker as entertainer and performer has a long history from “ancient Eastern customs”, including China, Persia, Egypt, and India, to ancient Greece. The tightrope walker and the criminal awaiting execution appear to exert the same magnetic power on audiences; both provide “thrilling” entertainment in the shadow of death. During Romanticism and up to the early twentieth century, the tightrope walker gained notable significance as a symbol for human freedom and a brave challenge to mediocrity and complacency.
