Cyr wheel acrobat spins his way into the record books

Acrobat Daniel Craig has defied gravity and spiralled his way into the record books. 

The Winnipeg, Canada native has triumphantly mastered the art of cyr wheel spinning.

The performer, who has been practising for over 30 years, can spin for 40 minutes and 8 seconds, holding the record for the longest duration spinning in a cyr wheel.

Cyr wheels are acrobatic rings made of aluminum or steel that resemble giant hula hoops. 

Acrobats stand inside the wheel and spin, roll, leap, and glide across the floor!

Amazingly, Daniel taught himself to use the cyr wheel.

“I learned the basics at circus school before it became popular in the circus arts,” said Daniel. 

“I was training at the New England Centre for Circus Arts (NECCA) and there just happened to be one there, but no one had the knowledge to coach it. 

This was also pre-YouTube tutorials, so I had to learn it on my own. It was incredibly challenging.

Daniel says because the learning curve is very steep, he had to train very hard. 

“I still remember doing my first performances with it,” he said. 

It was then that I really realized how much I loved it, and how unique it was. That feeling continues to this day.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Daniel, and his wife, who is also an acrobat, were looking for ways to maintain their skills while their touring was temporarily halted. 

Daniel decided that attempting to break a world record would be an excellent way to push his limits. 

He trained by running endurance in the cyr wheel and working on an Aerodyne to push up his stamina, training daily for several months prior to the record attempt. 

Although there is plenty of potential to get hurt while performing tricks on the cyr wheel, Daniel says breathing, listening to music, focusing, and trusting his skills allowed him to break the record.

“I've smashed my fingers, twisted out toenails, and bailed spectacularly,” he said. 

“The cyr wheel is one of those things where you just have to suck it up and ‘go for it!’”

Although Daniel no longer worries about any potential mishaps associated with the cyr wheel, he does admit that uneven surfaces can be bothersome. 

“I don't get worried anymore, but challenging surfaces are always a pain,” he said. 

Any surface that's not level, or surfaces with cracks (like segmented stages) are always difficult.

Daniel also says it’s sometimes tough to remember to engage with viewers. 

“The most difficult part for me is to remind myself that aside from the technical aspect of executing your act well, you also still have to connect with the audience,” he said. 

“Smile, make faces, let them know you're with them. There's a lot going on!”

Daniel was excited to learn of his new Guinness World Records title and described his achievement as “amazing.” 

“It really gave me something to train towards during the pandemic, and when I got the email saying I'd done it, it was a massive release,” he said. 

I'm so proud to have a Guinness World Records title. 

He also says his friends and family couldn’t believe he broke the record. 

Although they know he is an acrobat, Daniel says they are privy to how difficult performing on a cyr wheel is. 

“When I told them I had spun continuously for over 40 minutes, they were in awe,” he said. 

“It felt incredible!”

Unfortunately, Daniel had to cut his record attempt a bit short because some of his witnesses were restricted on time.

However, he says he is confident that he could have spun for even longer. 

Nonetheless, Daniel is satisfied with his accomplishment. 

“Having this goal to push towards during the pandemic really helped with my mental health and my training,” he said. 

Thank you to Guinness World Records for the award!

Find out more about Daniel's amazing record in Guinness World Records 2024, available from September 2023.

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