Tightrope walking (or funambulism) is the art of walking along a thin wire or rope, usually at a great height. One or more artists performs in front of an audience (a common act in circuses) or as a publicity stunt (often attempting to set location-specific distance or height records). Tightrope walkers sometimes use balancing poles and may perform the feat without a safety net for effect. Tightwire is the art of maintaining balance while walking along a tensioned wire between two points. It can be done either using a balancing tool (umbrella, fan, balance pole, etc.) or “freehand”, using only one’s body to maintain balance. Typically, tightwire performances will fall into one of two distinct types of acts: dance/movement or object manipulation. It is common for tightwire artists to include a variety of props in their acts, such as clubs or rings, hats or canes in order to help them maintain their balance.