Equilibristics is a blanket term for a number of 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....

 which involve balancing or maintaining equilibrium

Mechanical equilibrium

A standard definition of static equilibrium is:This is a strict definition, and often the term "static equilibrium" is used in a more relaxed manner interchangeably with "mechanical equilibrium", as defined next....

. The term applies equally to acts in which the performer balances on a prop, and acts in which the performer balances or spins a prop.

Many different tricks and stunts fit into this category.

Some well-known examples of equilibristics include juggling

Juggling

Juggling is a skill involving moving objects for entertainment or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling, in which the juggler throws objects up to catch and toss up again. This may be one object or many objects, at the same time with one or many hands. Jugglers often refer...

, baton twirling, unicycle

Unicycle

A unicycle is a human-powered, single-track vehicle with one wheel. Unicycles resemble bicycles, but are less complex.-History:One theory of the advent of the unicycle stems from the popularity of the penny-farthing during the late 19th century...

 riding, stilt walking, tightrope walking

Tightrope walking

Tightrope walking is the art of walking along a thin wire or rope, usually at a great height. One or more artists performs in front of an audience or as a publicity stunt...

, the manipulation of devil sticks

Devil sticks

The manipulation of devil sticks is a form of gyroscopic juggling or equilibristics, and is generally considered to be one of the circus arts...

, and some 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...

.

Couch juggling (also called foot-juggling, antipodism or Risley) is a stunt in which one lies on one's back, balancing an upended sofa on the soles of one's feet. The couch

Couch

A couch, also called a sofa, is an item of furniture designed to seat more than one person, and providing support for the back and arms. Typically, it will have an armrest on either side. In homes couches are normally found in the family room, living room, den or the lounge...

 is flipped end-for-end and caught at the other end, beginning a spin which is maintained by deft movements of the feet. This stunt can also be performed with a canoe

Canoe

A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...

, or any other large and unwieldy object. It can even be performed as a gymnastic stunt, using a human gymnast as the juggled object.

• See an example of antipodism with balls: http://www.dumpert.nl/mediabase/1707341/27d94cc7/1_meisje,_7_ballen.html
• With acrobats: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCyD0y9AFZY

The caber toss

Caber toss

The caber toss is a traditional Irish athletic event practised at the Irish Highland Games involving the tossing of a large wooden pole called a caber. It is said to have developed from the need to toss logs across narrow chasms to cross them. In Irishtown the caber is usually made from a Larch tree...

(a traditional Scottish athletic event) might be considered another form of equilibristics.

Technically, balancing a cane on the tip of a finger is an equilibristic stunt, but generally equilibristics is more flashy.