The Health Benefits of Aerial and Acrobatic Performance

Aerial and acrobatic performance is one of the most physically demanding performance art forms in the world. It is the specialized art of being able to do various acrobatic techniques both on the ground and in the air. Many doctors and medical professionals promote it because of the strong sense of perception, proprioception, coordination and physical fitness that a person obtains during their training. Obtaining these benefits are not only good for the person’s physical health they are also very important for having a healthy mental well being as well.



 
Perception Training
Aerial and acrobatic performers participate in a great deal of physical work outs that are aimed to give them an expert sense of perception. These perception gaining exercises help the performers understand their body’s capabilities and limits. This gives the performer the control over their own body instead of their body having control over them. These exercises help to keep the mind clear from stress and anxiety so that the activities the artist is performing can be the main focus of concentration. This is beneficial to the performer’s mental health where stress is concerned. When the performer’s overall mental health is in sync, their physical well being is strong in most cases as well. These activities decrease the chances of a person suffering from strokes, heart attacks, anxiety attacks, bouts of angina, high blood pressure and other stress related health issues that many people suffer from.


 
Proprioception Training
Proprioception training will help a person to build up muscle that can be used to help support their entire body. These exercises give a person’s body its own sense of position when extended in space where a platform support is not available to depend on. It also provides the performer with a personal sense of power where their muscles and tissue fibers are concerned. A person who is proprioception training will gain the ability to control the direction of their body’s movement through the use of sense and direction identity. Where aerial and acrobatic performance is concerned, this type of training helps to decrease the likelihood of the performer sustaining common injuries that include twisted ankles, sprains to various muscles of the body and painful strains and tears within the muscle tissue, tendons and ligaments themselves. Vigorous continual proprioception training will result in a person developing a strong spine, stomach muscles, back as well as provide strength and muscle support for the ankles, the knees and even the hip joints over time.


 
Coordination Training
When working as a aerial and acrobatic performance artist, coordination training provides some of the most necessary benefits. The activities that one engages in when they train for coordination gives them a strong sense of balance that can be used during their performances. The artist benefits from learning physical movements that help to increase their safety in the variety of movements they use while performing. They learn the correct way to use one set of muscles to help sustain another set in order to reduce the risks of injuries. The overall health of the performer benefits from such training because they learn the proper ways of stretching and warming up before their performances.
Another important aspect of the overall health of the performer is their daily diet. In order to have the energy necessary for working the muscles throughout the human body, it is important to eat the right foods to gain the right fuel to create a platform for muscles to use so that they get the most benefit from their workouts. Aerial and acrobatic performance artists need to have diets rich in proteins that are found in lean meat varieties, vegetables and fruits. Since the performer works out a great deal of their day, they need to maintain a high hydration level by drinking plenty of water and electrolytes. With the excess amount of liquid that is consumed, the toxins within the body that can lead to illnesses are in most cases flushed out. 

So overall, the health benefits that aerial and acrobatic performance artists gain through their training includes a strong state of mental health which helps to decrease their likelihood of developing heart disease, blood pressure issues and anxiety attacks. The rigorous physical workouts provide the performer with strong muscles, a strong spine which is used for flexibility, strong tendons and ligaments which play a large role in the prevention of injuries such as strains, sprains and muscle tears, and weight control. Proper diet benefit’s the aerial performer because of the vitamins and minerals that are obtained to help keep the inner body functioning correctly and giving it the ability to fight off illnesses and other health concerns related to nutrition.

(taken from: http://www.zenartsla.com/news/health-benefits-aerial-acrobatic-performance/)