It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s the Chinese Acrobats of Hebei flying across the stage.
The trained acrobatic troupe will perform a cultural production, which includes hoop diving and martial arts, to celebrate Chinese traditions at the Christopher Cohen Performing Arts Center (PAC) May 12.
The show will feature lion dance — an old folk dance which originated in China — as well as hat juggling, Chinese traditional gymnastics, contortionists and the most notable chair stacking.
Using chairs stacked more than two stories high, the acrobats will balance their entire bodies with just one hand at the highest chair. This highlight act will get the most “oohs and aahs,” Lerian said.
“I would say the chair stacking is one of the (craziest maneuvers) they perform,” Lerian said. “I can’t even fathom how they do it. It’s so high that you might lose them — literally — because they are probably 30 feet up in the air while doing these ridiculous gymnastic movements.”
All the “ridiculous gymnastic movements” began with training during early childhood in China. Translating manager Sarah Wang said the acrobatic team begin physically preparing their bodies for these performances at age 6.
“They train to make their bodies flexible with basic gymnastics,” Wang said. “After a year, it depends on how their bodies are and how their training has (developed) in order to go on tour.”
Not everyone who trains can participate in the acrobatic show. Every year, the coach selects those who have adequately physically developed to perform in the shows. There are a total of 13 performers, but entertainers are switched out yearly.
“China has had over 200 years of these performers,” Wang said. “This Heibei team has been on the market for over 150 years. They change people every year, so it’s different people with different acts every year.”
Since this is one of the oldest troupe activities to survive in China, the group decided to expand its performing demographic. The group started to perform in the U.S. 20 years ago.
Traveling through states and staying in random hotels has conjugated a few differences from their native hometown, Wang said.
“It’s much easier for us (to be in) the United States,” Wang said. “American audiences are more patient than Chinese audiences. They perform the same thing in China, but people there are shyer. In America, the audience is never shy to say what they like about the performance, and they have a lot of energy.”
Besides the outgoing attitude, another difference between being in China and the U.S. is the language. The performers have spoken Chinese their entire lives and have not learned English. But, it’s not because of lack of interest — it’s due to difficulty.
“They don’t speak a lot of English,” Wang said. “They want to learn, but sometimes, it’s just not that easy to learn.”
In addition, these acrobats had to learn how to keep their bodies in excellent shape — which means staying away from American foods that bombard them when they travel. But this isn’t an issue for the acrobats, who cook their own meals, because they know what is best for their bodies.
“Because they’ve been raised to do these performances, they understand their bodies completely,” producer Luann Canavan said. “They seem to just take care of themselves and know what their bodies can do.”
Since the acrobats are born and raised to excel in their troupe, audiences can expect some intense performances because these acrobats want to leave a lasting impression.
“I really hope the audience enjoys this show, (especially) with their families,” Wang said. “I hope it gives them a good family memory.”
The event starts at 7:30 p.m. May 12 and is open to all ages. Student and adult tickets range from $16 to $28 and can be purchased at the PAC Ticket Office.