As with so many aerial innovations, Cirque du Soleil pioneered Bungee Dance. In their show, “Saltambanco,” four acrobatics captured the imagination and excitement of the audience doing bungee trapeze throughout the high arena space. We got started with Bungee in 2001 with our halftime performances at Denver’s Pepsi Center for the opening game of Denver’s Mammoth Lacrosse team and Denver’s Arena Football team the Crush- so we know bungee dance is exhilarating and an engaging core workout!

So, what do you need?

With the flips and flying, you have to have a high ceiling for bungee trapeze. In our research, we discovered studios were using a pulley system to suspend the bungee cord from different heights. But, if you don’t have a pulley, you must have at least a 10 foot ceiling space, and at this length the cord can only be two-feet long. Among the belts we’ve tested, we sell a back point for bungee dance and two side hip points for aerial bungee dance. We attach three bungee cord to each hip of the aerial bungee dancer, as well as the 24 inch multiple link, and necessary carabiners, and a swivel.

We have tested several bungee belts and the one we sell has a back point for Bungee Dance, and also two side points on the hips for more Acrobatic Aerial Bungee Dance. For Bungee Trapeze, we use the two points on the hips and have the belt resting lower so it is easier to flip. For Bungee Dance, the belt is worn higher up so the center of gravity of the dancer is closer to the center of the body.

A back point allows the dancer to spin, run in place, and to float in the air, hovering over the floor. If used with a partner, adagio moves are possible. The movement of the flyer is assisted by the bungee. When the back point is used, we recommend a multiple link go between the bungee attachment and the harness, in order for the hardware to be away from the dancer’s back. Swivels are used to aid with spinning, one is needed for the back point, or two for each side of the belt

Bungee Type:

We sell bungee dance cord that has a soft stretch, medium stretch, and hard stretch. Bungee cord stretches quickly to twice its length, meaning the soft stretches faster than the medium and the medium extends faster than the hard. We recommend using individual cords in aerial bungee so that the dancer can use a combination of cords to fit their needs. It always best to have at least three cords for a dance per point on the belt (three total for a back point and six to eight (3-4 per side) on each hip).

Weight Considerations

The stretch of bungee used depends on the weight of the dancer:

Dancer’s Weight Recommended Bungee
Less than 100lbs Soft bungee
105 to 130lbs Combination medium and soft
132 to 145lbs Medium bungee
146 to 150lbs Combination medium and hard
152 to 175lbs* Hard ONLY

*Bungee cord is NOT recommended for individuals weighing over 175lbs

Bungee Cords: The Mechanics

The best bungee cord to use for aerial acrobatics or bungee dance is made in the USA and has a 1:1 stretch. The bungee stretches evenly out and rebounds back at the same speed. This means it stretches its length; for example, if you have a two foot bungee cord, it will stretch to four feet. Our bungee is made in the USA and has a 1:1 stretch.

In addition, you can order 2:1 but this is only used if you have an arena space of at least 40 to 60 feet. The 2:1 bungee stretches twice its length for every one part; for example, a two-foot cord would stretch to eight feet. This is why it can only be used for very high ceilings. We can obtain this type of stretch, but only if the performers has years of experiences and an arena space to practice and perform in.

All the needed equipment can be found in our Bungee Dance shop section.