Chicago Tribune | HOW TO: WALK A HIGH WIRE

You can't just run off and join the circus. You'll need a skill.

Ariele Ebacher is here to help.

For the last three years, the 27-year-old Ebacher has been teaching kids how to walk a high wire as a performer/instructor for CircEsteem, a Chicago group that introduces children to the circus arts.

OK, the wire she works with is not that high, maybe only 3 feet off the ground. But it's ideal for giving instruction in the basics of wire-walking, something the former dancer has been doing for five years. It's a skill, she said, that anyone can learn in just a couple of days.

"It's one of those things like juggling," Ebacher said. "The basics are easy. You just put the time in, and eventually your body figures it out."

She has other tips for anyone who wants to walk the wire.

- To get started, lay a strip of tape on the floor, Ebacher said. Practice working on it instead of somebody's clothesline.

- Point your toes forward, hold your arms out and stand tall. Then walk along the tape, one foot in front of the other. Focus on the end of the tape. When she's on the CircEsteem wire--a cable about three-quarters of an inch wide--she focuses on the red tape that's stuck where the cable attaches to the apparatus.

- Use your arms for balance. Ebacher usually uses a fan, and high-wire walkers carry those long poles.

- You can do this even if you don't have a great sense of balance. "You develop your sense of balance," she said. "What I tell the kids is, you have to be a tight piece of spaghetti, not a loose piece. Keep your body really tight and let your arms do the balancing."

And a person is not limited by size.

"You can be any height," said the 5-foot-tall Ebacher, "any size, any shape to do it."

- Barefoot or shoes, it's your choice. "If you're going to be walking on it a lot, it's good to wear shoes," she said. "Something like ballet shoes with soft soles."

- If you want to go beyond the tape on the floor, you'll need an apparatus like the one CircEsteem uses. There are companies in France and Florida that make them--for about $1,000--but CircEsteem founder Paul Miller said his group can custom-make one for $500-$700. Contact Miller through www.circesteem.com for more information.

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