FARTs: Flying with Artistic and Refined Techniques Lore

Artistic flying is the oldest FART, and it first appeared after the Cushioning Charm in 1820. During festivals and events where musicians would be playing outside in small wizarding villages, children and teenagers would take to their brooms and groove to the music. Adults were terrified of the erratic flying—at the time brooms were considered to be a serious form of transportation and galavanting around on one was only considered safe in regulated broom games—and so many villages and towns outlined “flying dangerously” or “flying with music.” Teens ignored these laws, outmaneuvering anyone who tried to catch them with style and grace, or meeting in secret to practice new moves and explore new modes of expression.

Over time, the artistic expression outweighed the fears. Now it’s a common practice at small or large gatherings for skilled riders to take to the sky in style. The movement varies widely by style of music. Some riders bring their own radios into the air with them for solo expression, others move above a large orchestra for the entertainment of an audience. Riders may make loops with their brooms, climb completely vertically, dive dramatically, all while their bodies are also in flux—standing on the broom, hanging from the boom, and simpler moves like clapping, fist pumping, leg kicking.

Today there are some fashion-foward witches and wizards who are exploring the wide world of muggle music and creating routines based around that. Others argue that artistic flying is a wizarding art form and therefore, should only involve music made in the wizarding world. Others still are combining both worlds of music into experimental shows.

Artistic flying can be done by oneself for the artistic expression and exercise. It can also be done at parties where everyone improvises moves to the music—though there are some known choreography for certain famous songs: ”Do the Hippogriff” is still the most popular to this day. There are more regimented forms of artistic flying, where groups learn a certain style and perform for paying audiences. Major styles today include swan diving (classical music), break air (wizard rap), contemporary (indie music—both wizard and muggle), and broomba (for groups looking mainly to exercise, using upbeat music).

Any broom can be used in artistic flying; riders consider maneuverability, speed, and looks when making choosing their preferred broom.

Synchronized flying is adaptation of artistic flying, where the focus is mainly on how well the group members can stay in sync with one another. There are both international and national synchronized flying competitions. Depending on the venue, groups may do complicated routines spanning large swaths of the sky, or they may have to incorporate elements like water, fire, or fantastical set dressings. Judges consider how complicated the routine is, how in sync the riders are, the story of the routine, music choice, set and props, and outfits.

The competition dictates which types of brooms are allowed. It is unheard of for a synchronized flying team to not all use the same type of broom.

Agility flying is a newer art form. It uses similar moves and techniques as artistic flying but without the music. There is now a national competition in the United Kingdom, with a few countries and organizations planning international competitions as the art form grows in popularity.

Agility flying is usually one flyer showing off their precision with a broom stick. This might include stunts such as turning at right angles at high speeds, falling off the broom on purpose only to throw it in the right direction to be caught by the broom, flying through flaming hoops, flying through thick forests, and making nearly fatal dives toward the ground.

Judges discern the winner of agility flying competitions based on the difficulty of the move and the ease at which the flyer performed it.

Stunt flying is similar to agility flying (with many performers crossing over), but stunt flying is more about showing off the latest broom technology. When a broom company invents a new broomstick or updates an existing model, they may hire a team of stunt flyers to show off the broom at a broom exposition.

These expositions can draw large crowds, not only because of the new brooms being showcased, but also because of the cool show the stunt flyers will do.

The expositions may show off the broom’s ability to navigate harsh weather conditions with simulated rain, tornadoes, and blizzards. They may also feature stunt performers entering combat situations or performing fake rescue attempts. At the Firebolt’s initial exposition, stunt flyer Madcap Manny outflew an angry Chinese Fireball. While these performances highlight the craftsmanship of the broom, they more so showcase the skill and grit of the stunt flyers.

Out of the all the FARTs, stunt flying is the most dangerous. The need to outdo what came before has pushed flyers to greater heights and greater falls. The Firebolt II’s release was canceled after a practice for the stunt show went terribly wrong. Two flyers were spinning in sync and diving toward the ground at full speed when their brooms’ tails accidentally touched and two of the fine twigs became intertwined, sending both brooms spinning out of formation. One flyer was able to push off her broomstick and quickly cast the cushioning charm at the ground. The other was not able to and hit the ground with a fatal impact.