Uneven bars

best act: 1995, 2001

The uneven bars were originally performed by Gymkana in 1962 and were created by offsetting the men’s parallel bars. In the 1970s, a separate apparatus was created for the competitive environment, and Gymkana followed suit in 1977, acquiring a new set designed for further versatility. In the 1980s, the distance between the low bar and high bar was stretched even further, allowing for more dynamic swinging elements in routines. Although uneven bars is considered a traditional gymnastics apparatus, troupers have incorporated novelty skills and routines as part of the act, and have included multiple troupers on the same set of bars at once, highlighting Gymkana’s core of circus and entertainment.