An Olympic diver slowly bends forward, lays his palms in front of his toes, and rises into a perfect handstand ten meters above the water. Two vibrant girls kick their legs up in the air at sunrise and walk down Times Square’s infamous red stairs. A gymnast turned biology teacher takes a sip of water and gets on his hands to demonstrate that one can swallow upside down.

There is something both extraordinary and casual about someone pushing through their shoulders, squeezing their ribs in, and creating a perfect line from the floor to the tip of their toes. Some circus disciplines such as Washington trapeze and contortion have integrated hand balancing elements to their acts’ composition and there isn’t a kid who hasn’t tried finding that perfect, centered spot on the playground. ...