Corde lisse is an aerial circus skill or act that involves acrobatics

Acrobatics

Acrobatics is the performance of extraordinary feats of balance, agility and motor coordination. It can be found in many of the performing arts, as well as many sports...

 on a vertically hanging rope. The name is French for "smooth rope".

Description

Corde lisse moves are normally a combination of held postures and drops using a rope that hangs from the ceiling. These ropes are normally made from soft cotton about 25-30mm thick. The technique is closely related to both silks, (another aerial circus skill performed on one or two long strips of strong fabric, often in bright colours), and Spanish web

Spanish web

The Spanish web is an aerial circus skill, similar in appearance and style to corde lisse. The name refers to both the apparatus and the performance....

. It requires great skill and strength. Performers do not have any kind of safety net or safety line, relying on their own strength and ability to prevent a fall.

It is possible for two (or more) people to perform on the same rope, although more than two is rare. The performers can hang off each other or be at different heights on the rope.

The most famous use of aerial circus skills

Circus skills

Circus skills are a group of pursuits that have been performed as entertainment in circus, sideshow, busking or variety/vaudeville/music hall shows. Most circus skills are still being performed today. Many are also practiced by non-performers as a hobby....

 such as these has been for the BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

's test-card.
Cirque du Soleil

Cirque du Soleil

Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...

 also uses corde lisse, aerial silks and trapeze

Trapeze

A trapeze is a short horizontal bar hung by ropes or metal straps from a support. It is an aerial apparatus commonly found in circus performances...

in some of their shows.
There are many schools and circus centers that teach rope throughout the world.

Corde lisse skills

There is no single naming convention for the skills on a corde lisse. Below is a list of names of moves, some of which are similar to the gymnastic equivalent, or which are a partial description of the move (e.g. double foot tie). This is by no means a complete list, as people are discovering and inventing new moves all the time.

Some solo moves

• Arabesque
• Basic upside-down hang
• Basqules
• Big knot
• Hip wrap knot
• Front flip
• Horizontal flip
• Crochet
• Crucifixion
• Dive
• Double foot tie
• Fan
• Hang
• Hip key
• Knee lock
• Knee lock slide
• Lean out
• Leg wraps (same and opposite side, left and right leg)
• Loop
• One arm hang
• Piston
• Rope climb (up and down)
• Salto
• Skip drop
• Spider
• Tempo swing
• Beats
• Windmills
• Flag
• Miracle Split