The Incredible Acrobats of China
The Incredible Acroobats of China performed at the Max Kupferberg Auditorium in Queens, NY
The Incredible Acrobats of China, one of the productions of the New Shanghai Circus, has performed since 1998. The acrobats started in Branson, Missouri, which is the location of its first theater in the United States but have since branched out to Pigeon Forge, TN where they have a theater and have performed for 3 years. The Incredible Acrobats of China also have a theater in their hometown of Shanghai. The show is on the road from March-December and goes all over the US including Hawaii, Arizona, California, Montana, Illinois, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Georgia, and North Carolina. They have performed internationally making stops in Greece. Spain, and Canada.
During the 2007-2008 season, the Incredible Acrobats of China were invited to perform at the New Victory Theatre on Broadway in New York. After 28 sold-out shows, they were honored with an award as Best Foreign Production on Broadway.
“Acrobatic acts have a long history—thousands of years ago. We combined traditional Chinese acrobatic arts with modern music, costume, and choreography,” said Xiaojung Kong, 29, who has been the Production Manager for two years. “The show is a combination of authentic Chinese acrobatics and modern artistic aspects,” she said. The shows are generally two hours with a 20-minute intermission and feature 16 acts. Along with Kong, Ziqian Tan, the supervisor and General Manager travels with the show.
Performers are recruited from the top students at professional circus schools across China. The troupe numbers 28 and its members range from 15 years old to 29 years old. None of the performers speak English and for all of them, acrobatics is their full-time job. For the younger performers, who have not finished high school, the company hires a coach to tutor them. Kong says that the performers all have their own laptops on which they download movies and talk online to friends and family using web cameras. Sometimes the performers use so much bandwidth from the wireless network in hotels that it blocks others from people able to use the Internet.
On Saturday, March 7, 2009 at 3PM at Queens College, The Incredible Acrobats of China performed in front of a packed crowd at the Colden Auditorium. Young and old alike were awed by the flexibility, balance, strength, and controlled movement of the performers. Kids asked their parents, “Can you do that?” to which their parents responded with a sarcastic nod. While the acrobats were performing, one could hear a pin drop in the auditorium and at the end of a difficult routine, sighs of relief overtook the crowd.