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THE CHINESE GOLDEN DRAGON ACROBATS In China, acrobats are revered much as prima ballerinas or opera singers are revered in the West, and it takes years of rigorous training to achieve the excellence demanded by this ancient art form. Children hoping to become acrobats begins their training as young as four or five years old. Specific training with an acrobat troupe may begin by the age of eight. The basics - balancing, tumbling, dancing, flexibility, and strength are taught in the first two years, and students spend the next three to five years perfecting specific acts. Eventually, they will do their first performances when they reach the age of sixteen or seventeen. The art of Chinese acrobatics combines both physically and spiritually. Coupled with an acrobat's immense athletic strength and impeccable balance and timing is Chi Kung - the Asian philosophy of inner strength , which focuses the body and mind to work in perfect harmony. Each individual acrobat's physical and philosophical strength combines with that of the fellow members of his or her troupe in magnificent displays of balancing, juggling, dance, comedy and magic. The Cangzhou Acrobats of the People's Republic of China come from Wuqiao, in the Cangzhou Prefecture in southeastern Hebei Province near Beijing. Wuqiao is known as the "Home of Acrobats" in China and holds the Wuqiao International Acrobatic Art Festival every other year. Established in 1956, the Cangzhou Acrobatic Troupe has more than 90 performers and workers. It has given performances in Holland, Belgium, the former Soviet Union, Germany, France, the United States, South Africa, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and Malaysia. And now Hot Springs Village, Arkansas!
Pictures Above : Recreations of the famous painting inside the Tung Huang Caves. This includes "body sculpturing" as well as the balancing of trays of glasses of water. Foot Juggling is a very traditional form of juggling various objects with the feet.
Three performances ... three standing ovations! Now some behind the scenes
pictures. Ben Brewer, left Company
Manager; Jayson Carpenter, Lighting Director |
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