Flying Poles: Brass or Bamboo
Gavin Smith
When we develop a new apparatus, we research and then we build a traditional prototype that then can be hybridised with a modular quality.
So rather than just make a direct copy of an original, we designed a new apparatus and system for aerial rigging and physical theatre.
Bamboo is a very strong natural material, it has strengths and weaknesses unique to it, it behaves in very special ways, think how it's used as scaffold in many countries. Brass is also a very popular choice of materials for dance poles. But both of these materials need strengthening up for use as an aerial apparatus.
To make these apparatus safe to use and to take them off the ground to be used as flying poles, we built in a steel reinforced core for the brass pole and added a synthetic rope as the point of attachment for the bamboo pole.
The flying pole is traditionally rigged from the top of the apparatus to a rigging system that can be raised and lowered while a performer works on while it is either swinging or spinning, there can be combinations of cascading poles connected to each other at the top and base of each pole, this is a ensemble act and all the weights of the performers have to been taken into account when designing the poles.
Bamboo poles used for dance work traditionally have them rigged at the top to a rigging system that is set to a height that allows a vectored rotation with the base of the pole on the ground and the top rotating with the use of a swivel.
The look and feel of polished brass and bamboo are unique, and it's not common to need any friction tape or treatment to provide a good grip.
