Unlurking here to offer a different perspective on unstable surface training... I actually am in circus school and do a lot of unstable surface training with a PT (and I do get a lot of curious stares while doing it) along with a lot of traditional strength training. Some of it transfers to circus skills, a lot of it does not, and some of it is counterproductive to what I do in circus.
Free weight training, using unstable objects like sandbags for lifting, and doing suspension work are very helpful in what I do for partner hand balancing, tumbling and aerial apparatus work. Standing on stability balls or one-legged balancing on the Bosu don't do squat to help me with standing or walking on the globes or walking the wire - they actually hinder me and interfere with my technique. Doing some Bosu training (agility drills) does help with ankle stability for trampoline work and some weighted work on the Bosu does help to teach me to keep my body tight and engaged as I'm working other muscles and teaches my brain where I am in space and how to keep multiple things going on at the same time. The best training for circus skills is.... actually doing circus, but in the absence of class time/availability of specialized equipment, some of the unstable surface training has been very useful for me.
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