trapeze

thumb|upright=1.5|Trapeze artists, in lithograph by Calvert Litho. Co., 1890.

A trapeze is a short horizontal bar hung by ropes, metal straps, or chains, from a ceiling support. It is an aerial apparatus commonly found in circus performances. Trapeze acts may be static, spinning (rigged from a single point), swinging or flying, and may be performed solo, double, triple or as a group act.