Impalement arts

The Impalement Arts are a type of performance art in which a performer plays the role of human target for a fellow performer who demonstrates accuracy skills in disciplines such as knife throwing and archery. Ironically impalement is exactly what the performers endeavour to avoid - the thrower or marksman aims around the target rather than at him or her. The object is to land the throw or shot as close as possible to the assistant's body without causing injury. Impalement arts are often found in circuses and sideshows as well as occasionally in variety or burlesque shows.

It is important to note the distinction between knife throwing or archery practised as competitive sports and similar skills displayed as impalement arts. For example, organising bodies for competitive archery prohibit activity that involves deliberate shooting in the general direction of a human being.

It should be emphasised that impalement arts are, by their very nature, dangerous and they should not be attempted by anyone who does not have the very high levels of skill and experience required.

Forms and variations

The human target is the essential distinguishing feature of the impalement arts. It has been asserted by a number of sources, including well-known knife throwers, that the power and appeal of this type of act lies as much in audience appreciation of the target as in admiration for the skill of the thrower or archer.

"Remember, it's not the thrower that counts — it's the target." knifethrower Gabor in the film The Girl on the Bridge

Various theories have been put forward to explain the enduring appeal of watching a performer face danger in such an apparently passive way. These range from simple awe at the display of steely nerves and complete trust to more complex psychological and philosophical theories. While some point to overtones of sadomasochistic eroticism, others cite dramaturgical works and point to parallels with the story arc of the hero in classic drama. In particular the assistant's performance is said to mirror the plot device of the hero's ordeal, in which the hero proves his or her heroic qualities through self-sacrifice or by facing extreme peril.

The target or assistant role is most often taken by a female performer, sometimes known as a target girl, who commonly wears a revealing costume, thus adding an element of sexuality to the act. While a few contemporary acts feature a male in the target role and some play upon role reversal, the traditional figure of a female target still prevails.

Generally speaking the assistant, whether male or female, stands in front of a wooden board into which the knives or arrows are embedded. For some stunts the assistant is strapped to a moving board. There are several disciplines and a great variety of tricks and stunts that are performed within that basic format. Some tricks are done by performers in all disciplines while others are generally the preserve of one discipline. For example moving target stunts, such as the wheel of death, tend to be done by knife throwers but not by archers.

Impalement artists have adopted a variety of styles, including wild west, "gypsy" or cabaret. There have even been efforts to package impalement arts within dramatic productions, such as the play Pin Cushion, featuring knifethrower The Great Throwdini with actress Niabi Caldwell delivering a monologue while being a real target girl.

Disciplines

Knife throwing: Knife throwing is the most common and well-known discipline within the impalement arts. It includes the throwing of axes, machetes and other sharp implements as well as knives.

Archery: Archery is the other main discipline. An archer might use bows or crossbows or both.

Sharpshooting: It is arguable that some sharpshooting acts fall into the category of impalement arts when they involve a performer holding up targets for a marksman. Even when sharpshooting is not performed as an impalement art it is sometimes grouped alongside knife throwing as a wild west art. It also has much in common with crossbow shooting in terms of the accuracy skills invloved.

There are other performance disciplines which are not strictly impalement arts but which are sometimes grouped with impalement art disciplines because they involve human targets or because they are all placed within themes such as wild west arts. These disciplines include bullwhip displays and trick roping.

Some artists perform more than one discipline.

Tricks

There are many variations on the simple arrangement of having the assistant stand in front of a target board and remain still while knives, arrows or other objects land about them. Often the first type of variation in a routine is that the assistant will assume different poses. For example:

Profile: This is a classic done by many performers. The assistant stands side-on to the board and then bends backwards. The impalement artist then aims a series of knives, axes or arrows along the line of the front edge of the assistant, beginning around the legs and ending with the last throw or shot coming close to the assistant's throat. One aspect of this pose is that it accentuates the vulnerability of the assistant, particularly with the last impact tantalisingly close to the throat. Another important aspect for knifethrowers is that the upper part of the assistant's body is positioned so that a series of throws can be landed above it - a flexible target girl might be able to place her neck and the upper part of her chest in a horizontal line. A skilled thrower can use the way that that a knife turns in flight to land it sloping at a downward angle from the board; thus, the point of the knife can impact safely above the assistant but the rest of the knife can slope down and come very close indeed to the assistant's body, even making contact on some occasions.

Headstand: An example from the repertoire of knife acts goes as follows: The assistant does a headstand against the target board; the thrower then throws two knives or axes, one into each of the two top corners of the target board; the assistant moves his or her legs apart until they touch the two implements embedded in the the thrower then throws a series of implements into the "V" formed by the assistants legs.

More complex stunts and challenges include:

The wheel of death: One of the most difficult and dangerous feats for a knifethrower. The assistant or target girl is strapped to a large circular target board which spins about its middle, like a wheel. The thrower must execute a series of rapid, consistent and carefully timed throws to land knives on the segments of the wheel not covered by the assistant's body. There are some variations in the exact configuration of "wheels": in some the assistant is positioned with their arms at their sides while in others the assistant is spreadeagled. Sometimes the "wheel" might not actually be circular: shield shapes and rectangular rotating boards have been known and all will work as "wheels" as long as they are correctly balanced to rotate smoothly when the assistant is in place.

Door of death: A moving target challenge pioneered by Larry Cisewski. This time the assistant is on a door-sized rectangular board that spins about a central vertical axis. Again the thrower must execute a series of rapid, consistent and carefully timed throws to land knives on parts of the board not covered by the assistant's body. Sometimes the aim is to hit the back of the board in the moments that the assistant is turned away from the thrower. Other throwers have placed a vertical row of knives down the sides of the assistant at the moments when the assistant turns to face them.

Balloon bursting: The assistant stands in front of the target board and holds balloons which the thrower then attempts to burst. Balloons can be held in the hand, positioned under arms or between the legs and sometimes an assistant will hold a ballon between his or her teeth.

William Tell: There are various stunts inspired by the story of William Tell, who, according to legend, was forced to shoot an apple off of his son's head with a crossbow. Modern impalement arists have performed similar feats. In some ways the Tell legend can be seen as one of the earliest inspirations for the impalement arts.

Impaling a card or paper plate: The assistant stands in front of the target board and holds out a card, or paper plate which the thrower or archer attempts to pin to the board. The level of danger can be varied to some extent by whether the assistant holds the card at full arms length or keeps it close. The Jasters do a "William Tell" version in which the card is balanced on the head of target girl Elena Busnelli.

Cutting a straw: An assistant holds a straw in his or her mouth and the impalement artist attempts to cut the tip off of it. This is mostly associated with knife throwers.

Blind: The thrower or archer wears a blindfold. Generally the assistant positions the blindfolded impalement artist and points them in the general direction of the target board. The implication is that the impalement artist then has to aim on the basis of where they remember the target to be. There is a trick behind this stunt and would be impalement artists are warned not to attempt it unless coached in that by another experienced professional.

Covered target: The target girl or assistant is covered so that the thrower or archer cannot see exactly where they are. The covering is made of paper or some other flimsy material so that knives or arrows will pass through it. The implication is that the thrower or artist must estimate the position of the assistant using memory and other indirect guides and aim on the basis.

Ladder of death: This involves two knifethrowers simultaneously perfroming a rapid sequence of throws at the same target board while aiming so that the trajectories of their knives cross. The throwers stand side by side facing the assistant at the board. The knives from the thrower on the right land to the left of the board while the knives from the thrower on the left impact on the right of the board. Each thrower aims their next knife vertically above where they placed the preceding one, so that a ladder of knives is formed up each side of the assistant. This stunt was pioneered by The Great Throwdini in partnership with Harry Munroe.

History

Knifethrowing performers appeared in Europe in the 19th century. Buffalo Bill's performances in Europe in 1887 resulted in a wave of popularity for wild west shows and "western arts" and impalement acts were swept along in that.

Circuses in their modern form began to take off at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, with Barnum & Bailey's tours of Europe from 1897 to 1902 being a particular historic landmark. The influence of American circus included bringing in more acts of skill and daring and impalement arts were part of that trend. Circuses and sideshows provided fertile territory in which the impalement arts could develop. In the USA impalement acts from circuses found a place in vaudeville and burlesque shows. In Britain the equivalent was music hall.

Moving targets were an innovation used by European artists in the 1930s. In 1938 The Gibsons, coming from Germany, introduced the Wheel of death into the US.

The advent of television in the latter part of the twentieth century brought a gradual decline in the venues in which the impalement arts had previously thrived, but a new home was created in the form of variety shows. Although television variety shows are no longer the central feature of network television that they once were, the impalement arts live on in modern versions of circus and burlesque and in many other live environments.

Myths

It is occasionally alleged that knifethrowing acts are actually a trick in which the thrower palms the knife as he pretends to throw it and a knife springs out from the target, giving the illusion of perfect aim. Although this technique has been used by at least one magician to emulated knife throwing, the great majority of knife throwers perform genuine acts. There are secret tricks behind certain stunts, such as throwing while blindfolded, but they do not involve fake knives springing from the target board.

Lists of impalement artists

Knifethrowing

• The Brumbachs/Los Alamos - Initially as The Brumbachs with Fritz Brumbach as thrower and his wife Helga and daughter Sylvia as target girls. (http://www.indinf.pub.ro/catalinp/magic/br/br.htm) Son Patrick also became a thrower and joined the family act. He now works with Sylvia as a target girl under the name Los Alamos. (http://www.messershow-losalamos.com)
• Che Che Whitecloud aka Ken Pierce (http://www.akta-usa.com/che_che_whitecloud.htm)
• Larry Cisewski (http://www.comedycontact.com/varietyacts.html)
• Elizabeth and Collins (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1812489)
• Ari Lauanne (http://www.huippujuttu.com)
• The Gibsons
• The Great Throwdini aka Rev Dr David Adamovich (http://www.knifethrower.com/ia.html)
• Jonny King
• Two Tornados Irene und Rolf Stey (http://www.zirkus-stey.ch/frames/history/frame_history.html)

Archery and crossbow acts

• Aldebaran (http://www.gregangelo.com/vct/vcthtml/vctodd.php#Aldebaran)
• Duo Grey Arrow
• The Jasters Elena Busnelli and Giacomo Sterza, who feature knife throwing as well as archery (http://www.thejasters.com)

See also

• Archery
• Burlesque
• Circus
• Circus skills
• The Girl on the Bridge
• Knife throwing
• Music Hall
• Sideshow
• Variety Shows
• Vaudeville
• Wild West Shows

Further reading

Adamovich, Heil & Schollenberger, A Day on Broadway: The art of being a knifethrower's assistant, Turnshare (London, 2005), ISBN: 1-903343-73-9,

Ula the Painproof Rubber Girl, The Knife Thrower's Assistant, an article on the impalement arts from the point of view of a target girl, http://www.painproofrubbergirls.com/stories/knife/index.html, (2003)

External links

• http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dangerouscircusacts4

• http://www.sideshowworld.com/KTDA.html

• http://www.knifethrower.com/impalementarts.html

• http://www.knifethrower.net

• http://www.knifethrowing.info

• The Girl on the Bridge (aka. La Fille sur le pont) at the Internet Movie Database

• http://www.harrymknives.com