A dance or circus act for two or three performers, usually with metallic body paint and costumes, consisting of a series of hand-to-hand balances and other acrobatic poses which are held for a few seconds before slowly moving into the next pose.
Also, a single person act, usually with metallic body paint and costume, that focuses on stillness. This version's balance component are usually not the result of apparent acrobatic effort, even if they are physically taxing.
Definition based on the Contortion Glossary by Greg Ullman and Tige Young