Types

Traditional circus arts train stilt walkers with "pegged" stilts, these stilts, as with most strap to ones shin and foot plate leaving the walker to balance on a rubber covered "pegged" feet. This type of stilt is very good for walking upon uneven ground and forces the individual to center their balance more directly without the aid of a added "foot" to the base of the stilt.



Voltige stilts are a modified version of a pegged stilt typical of French circus specialist with a stylish and practical design. The stilts support the backs of your calves and allow you to stand on top of the stilts rather than to one side. The telescopic tubular design enables quick and easy adjustment between a variety of height adjustments.



The above image is that of a standard pair of "drywall" stilts, they are used in construction/framing to help apply sheet rock for creating walls, these stilts are most favored in the construction field of work because they allow the user to actually stand motionless for good moments of time. Some types of these stilts have a articulated toe and heel to aid in the maneuverability of the stilt walker, these are very adjustable....some will generally extend up to "48. Personally I tend to stay away from these stilts for various reasons like, weight, bulk, sound (they tend to squeak if not well oiled) and can create a false confidence in actual control of balance.




Currently, the latest design in stilt technology are "Velocity" or "Power Jumpers" , these reflect back to a pegged foot type design, and the wearer is secured into these via a shin guard and foot plate housing. A very aerobic stilt that has a high tech spring which allows the user to make up to 7ft strides 9ft leaps, and move upwards to 20+ miles per hour on them, there are many different companies that fabricate these types of stilts....but I suggest one takes a look at Stiltwerks-Inc. out of Las Vegas, Neveda. The owner Jeff Jay has patented many a design for a variety of stilts and I believe viewing his website is worth it for any stilt walking enthusiasts.

Below is a teaser of some video footage of some of these stilts in action!

A Late Night Stroll

So last month as I headed home from work I decided to send out a text message to some fellow stilt walkers and wait to see what happens. The message was as follows~

Let's take a walk down Broadway, no rhyme or reason, dress to impress....who's up for it?

Well Asraiya responded, I believe the last time I stilt walked with her was for a Petting Zoo Players gig in Tacoma for New Years Eve, the client wanted three stilt walkers and As jumped at the offer but was lacking in the stilt department. Luckily for her and the PZP, a Movement Instructor of mine by the name of George Lewis contacted me in regards to some stilts I fabricated for a production of Shakespeare' "The Tempest". He stated that he was moving and wanted to know if I would hold onto them for him, so this is how Asriaya obtained a pair of stilts to join me with this summer stroll.

We walked about 25 city blocks that night, in a couple hours, and we strolled down hills and back up them too...along the way my housemate Guage joined us, his pockets were packed with Magic and he was raring to go. The photo above was a break moment....going down hill can be physically trying as compared to walking uphill on stilts...you may not think so, but it's the truth.

For the Love of it!

I am publishing this particular blog out of love, love for a Mother and daughter, love for the thoughts I am about to share, and for the love of those who may become future stilt walkers of the world.



I met a wonderful woman of the name, Roberta M. (Bobby), and she started a email via a Buskers discussion page for her daughter Heather's stilt walking ability, she will either take over all Internet correspondences one day or Bobby will continue to have to do the management work.

Her daughter has named her "manager" for she does the management work for her daughters stilt waking talents, Bobby believes she does not do anything special for she is just a ground worker....yet special she truly is. And below is the email/letter she sent out the Busker Group~

"Heather is 16, walks on drywall stilts, Juggles, and blows bubbles. She just got, in the last month, Voltige peg stilts(45cm, 90cm, 110cm) and she likes them more than the dry wall stilts because they are much lighter. But she is not yet entirely comfortable with them. She can't stand completely still on them yet, and she wants too. But she found she has more freedom of movement with the peg stilts. She is really working on them.

She has been walking on drywall stilts for about 3yrs, and performing for almost 2 1/2. She has been in dance classes for about 9yrs and attributes her balance to it."

It started when, as a family Bobby had her costuming Star Wars. Heather insisted that she wanted to be Chewbacca. Bobby told her that as a family they were way to short and that she would have to learn how to walk on stilts. They got the dry wall stilts for the stability with a heavy Wookiee costume and mask. Their neighbor then decided that she would make a great addition to a school fund raiser where she taught, this lead to them making pants and tops for these events. They never thought that Heathers desire to be a Wookiee would grow into this much fun, and they do love to doing stilted events. They still have yet to make the Chewie costume yet.
Bobby is not the only one to support her in stilts, her Grandfather helped me teach her how to stilt. Neither one of us knew how, we just bought the stilts, strapped them on and yanked her to her feet. She was much more ready to let go of my hand than I was to let hers go. Story of a mother's life. My mother makes all her costumes (except the few regular cloths that end up in the mix).



We hope to make some money at this on a limited basis. This
currently is not meant to be her life's work. She wants to be a veterinarian and probably a busker on the side. Because of all these web sites and message boards I have recently found that might be possible.

Oh my dear, making money providing ambiance while on stilts is VERY possible, I myself have been doing it since 1999. I suggest a starting rate of $50 to $75 a hour for now and this can lead upwards to $200 an hour with time, and of course children/charity gigs shall always take the financial bite in the wallet...it is the right thing to do.

Our best performance experience is the confidence that the Children's Hospital puts in her for every event that they want her to participate in. Our worst is when second or third parties don't take her serious. One case in point, a friend who has a business wanted her to stilt on a special day, then the friend's insurance man said that if we showed up with stilts that they would drop the business coverage. Our own school refuses to let her stilt on school property on school time. But the community fair held at the school has her stilt. We don't fight those who seem to be narrow minded. Lets face it even when one wins an argument the hurt feelings won't change the out come.

My suggestion for the future, and to squash any problems that may arise over stilt walking is to check out Clowns of the U.S. because they offer insurance policies for entertainers and stilt walkers are part of the same group. It costs $200 for a 1 year coverage policy...but the insurance policy is good for up to 2-4 million dollars! So now you can imagine if there is a client/school/insurance company issue over the risk of having her perform on stilts at anytime, she can whip out a 2-4 million dollar coverage policy that will leave any future verbal concerns very quiet.

Neil Sauter

Photo is courtesy of Neil Sauters website.

A man raised funds for cerebral palsy with 830-mile (1,335-kilometer) trek on stilts, it is so great to see that another person shares similar thought of a selfless act. I have been working on a project with the same intentions titled the Faith and Healing Tour, click that link for more information about my vision.

In Ironwood, Michigan - A 24-year-old man has completed an 830-mile (1,335-kilometer) trek on aluminum stilts across Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas to make people aware of cerebral palsy.


United Cerebral Palsy of Michigan reports that Neil Sauter (click on his name to see his personal website) has ended his eight-week journey Friday in Ironwood, Michigan, on the Upper Peninsula border with Wisconsin. He began walking in early May from Lambertville in southeast Michigan.


Sauter has raised $16,000 for United Cerebral Palsy of Michigan. A 3-1 matching federal grant pushes that total to $64,000.


Sauter has mild cerebral palsy and used three pairs of stilts on the walk, and at the date of this blog he has currently raised over $73,000 for United Cerebral Palsy of Michigan!

He has a few other projects in the works and he is still accepting donations, I tip my hat to you Neil, and I look forward to meeting you some day.

Seattle Gay Pride 2008

I have been hired by a company a few times called Safeco Insurance and they apparently really enjoy my stilt walking ambiance, this year they called me up and asked if I was willing to help represent them in the Seattle Gay Pride 2008 parade. Of course I said yes, they always have paid what I ask for and even though I am not gay, I am generally happy most of the time.
So I pulled out a costume of a new type of character that I have not giving a name to, nor even a voice actually....I feel like it is really just a internal radiance that I have needed to bring out externally.
Below is a video that is posted courtesy of ed119 off of You Tube, and after the dikes on bikes you will see the first stilt walker of the parade....and yep, that's me!

Photo courtesy of :Peter Demers

Coulrophobia: The Fear of Clowns

What does this have to do with stilt walkers or stilt walking, well I decided to post a bulletin on my MySpace page Sagealicious about the phobia known as Coulrophobia, so I decided to do some research about this phobia....because from time to time I have been known to portray a "clown". And this is some interesting knowledge I obtained from my research thanks to Cristina Olvera~

Everyone experiences a fear of something at some time in their lives. Fear is natural, but sometimes it becomes irrational and develops into a phobia. A phobia is a strong, persistent fear of situations, objects, activities or persons. The main symptom is an excessive and unreasonable desire to avoid the feared subject. One particular phobia affects as many as one in seven people. Coulrophobia, the fear of clowns, is clinically known.

Coulrophobia is the official name for the fear of clowns. This condition is one of the most remarked-upon phobias on the Internet. Coulrophobia was coined during the 1990's and is based on the Greek word Koulon or limb. Related derivatives are suggestive of stilts and stilt walking. For example the Greek work Kolobathristes means one who goes on stilts. Clowns are often known to walk on stilts and so this how the relationship developed and the word Coulrophobia was made.

Those who suffer from Coulrophobia, do so, for many reasons. The most fear-inducing aspects of clowns is the heavy make-up that is accompanied by the big red nose and different color hair. These things completely conceal the identity of the wearer. It is also possible that the costume conceals a darker personality. Although clowns are known for being happy and creating a fun atmosphere, Coulrophobes tend to fear who the clown is as a real person.

Another reason for fearing clowns, is the clowns ability to act outside social boundaries. Clowns have been around for thousands of years and they serve an unique role in many societies. In Egypt and China as early as 1800 B.C. Court Jesters were allowed to mock and criticize Kings when no one else was allowed to. They can get in your face and squirt you with water and generally make fun of you without suffering any consequences. It is because of this that some people feel uncomfortable in the presence of a clown.

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