Feats of wonder

At the 10th China Acrobatics Golden Chrysanthemum Awards in Shandong province, the competition showed that Chinese acrobatics is still going strong. Chen Nan reports.

It is the moment the audience gives a collective gasp of astonishment, as Wei Sina, a 16-year-old acrobatic performer, does the splits, balanced upside down on one hand on a rotating, 3.5-meter-high installation.

Suddenly, she twists her body as if she is about to fall and the audience gasps again, this time in shock. But slowly she stretches her body and poses with her feet pointing to the high ceiling, and the audience responds with thunderous applause.

Titled Wings, the 15-minute performance features Wei playing the role of a little bird trying to fly high in heavy rain.

"I am satisfied with my performance because I finished all the movements without a fault. It's a breakthrough for me," says Wei with a deep breath.

Wei, who was born and grew up in Nanning, the capital of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, started practicing acrobatics at age 6, and she has already won a number of national awards. She is a performer with the Guangxi Acrobatic Troupe in Nanning.

Wings was one of the 30 performances that made it to the final round of the 10th China Acrobatics Golden Chrysanthemum Awards. Launched in 1987, the competition is held every three years and is the highest award for acrobatics in the country.

This year's competition was held in Penglai, Shandong province, from Sept 16 to 21. More than 28 Chinese acrobatic troupes - made up of over 500 acrobats - presented dazzling, fresh choreographic pieces.

"We've selected 30 from hundreds of programs. They represent the highest level of China's acrobatics," says Wang Rengang, secretary-general of the China Acrobats Association, a governmental organization founded in 1981 that focuses on the promotion and development of Chinese acrobatics.

Since 2005, the China Acrobats Association has initiated a number of plans to revive the traditional art form, including giving financial support to acrobatic troupes, lowering ticket prices and offering the troupes more opportunities to perform at home and abroad.

"Acrobatics has a long history in China. It is a family entertainment that crosses borders. We've taken China's acrobatics troupes to perform and compete overseas, and they have received warm feedback and lots of awards," Wang says.

The history of acrobatics in China dates back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and Song Dynasty (960-1279), but, like many traditional Chinese art forms, it faced decline in the face of challenges from contemporary entertainment.

"It takes at least five years to train a new acrobat to the professional level. So lots of young people give up the idea right at the beginning, which has led to a lack of talent," Wang says.

For young acrobats like Wei, it's not easy to take the first step.

"I cried for a month in the beginning because it was painful and boring to practice the movements over and over again," says Wei, whose parents run their own business in Nanning. "My parents sent me to the troupe because they thought acrobatics is a visually beautiful art and the job is stable. Now, I am used to the intensive training and, despite the hardship, I feel content when I finish a hard move."

Like Wei, Zhang Jianan of the Shandong Acrobatic Troupe started practicing acrobatics at a young age and didn't enjoy it until she made her stage debut when she was 15.

During the 10th China Acrobatics Golden Chrysanthemum Awards, Zhang, along with 32 other acrobats from the troupe, performed a piece by US choreographers Patti Colombo and Shanda Sawyer. With remixes of Michael Jackson's hits, the actors juggled straw hats with great speed.

"I thought about giving up because my main focus was high-altitude acrobatic skydiving, which was frightening and caused lots of physical pain," says Zhang, 31, who is from Rizhao, Shandong province. In four years, she will retire from the stage and become a coach.

Despite those difficulties, Zhang says she enjoys the freedom and self-expression of the art form.

Wang Xiaoying, president of the Beijing Acrobatic Troupe, says that, unlike traditional acrobatics, which mainly involve performers demonstrating jaw-dropping physical skills, the art form has now been combined with other elements, such as dance and theatrical techniques. It also incorporates such things as lighting effects and 3-D projections to satisfy the tastes of modern audiences.

Growing awareness of the physical demands on acrobats, especially younger ones, has also led to great changes in the way they train.

"Now our training employs a scientific approach, which is efficient and healthy," says Wang Xiaoying. "The performing life of the acrobat, like that of many other athletes, is very short. In the past, acrobats retired at 25 years old. Now we don't bother to set an age limit. As long as they want to perform onstage, we'll let them stay."

In 1957, a group of acrobats who had been performing in Tianqiao, a district in downtown Beijing that was once a haven for folk arts, founded the Beijing Acrobatic Troupe.

In 1995, the troupe presented a diabolo act, which won a gold medal at the Paris' Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain (The World Festival of the Circus of Tomorrow). The following year, the act was presented by Cirque du Soleil, which led to a long association with the Canadian circus.

During the 10th China Acrobatics Golden Chrysanthemum Awards, the troupe revived the diabolo act, with new choreography and music and displaying traditional techniques.

Celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, the Beijing Acrobatic Troupe invited four retired acrobats back to train the young performers.

"The four artists are in their 70s and 80s, and they spent their entire lives practicing their technique, such as playing diabolo and doing contortions. We invited them back because these techniques are not seen onstage nowadays," says Wang Xiaoying. "Given that the demand for traditional culture is growing in the country, there is a good reason for reviving the old acrobatic skills."

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 10/06/2017 page21)