Flying through the air and then some

Coral Wilson

There are no strings, no magic -- only lights, music and acrobats

coming together for a performance that is so incredible, it is hard

to believe it is real.

Demonstrating daring feats of skill, balance and bravery, the

Peking Acrobats bring a 2,000-year-old tradition to North America for

80 performances on a tour of 50 cities. And they are stopping by

Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa this evening.

“From the moment the curtain goes up, all you hear is ‘Ooh, ahh

and oh no,’” co-producer and business manager Don Hughes said.

Acrobats, tumblers and contortionists balance on top of a tower of

benches, a pagoda of chairs, a high wire, a bamboo pole, a human

pyramid and even spears.

“They look like they are enjoying themselves but they are very

conscious of the fact that they can fall,” Hughes said.

Surprisingly, they rarely do. Hughes can only recall two serious

injuries during his almost 30 years with the show, the worst being a

broken leg.

But that is not out of lack of danger but a result of practice.

Many of them have been training since the age of 5.

“They’ll learn their ABC’s alongside acrobats,” Hughes said.

Most important, they learn how to fall and the secret to landing

on their feet.

“Everything you see on stage is stuff you would find around the

house,” he added.

Chinese acrobatics started as folk arts: tumbling, balancing and

juggling household objects. Eventually, acrobats were recognized by

the ruling class and invited to the court as entertainers. From then

on, acrobatics flourished into an art form and an important part of

Chinese culture.

The Peking Acrobats is directed by the Hai family, a clan deeply

rooted in the acrobatic tradition. Co-producer and artistic director

Ken Hai visits China annually to select from the approximately

100,000 acrobats studying the art today. He takes the best talent to

perform around the world.

One year, the troupe balanced six people atop six chairs 21 feet

in the air without safety lines. Their “Human Chair Stack” set the

world’s record on Fox’s Guinness Book Primetime show. Other acts are

a cyclist riding with 10 performers piled on top and a symmetrical

rolling pyramid.

This year, the troupe has added a segment to the show in response

to the popularity of kung-fu. The show also offers a new experience

in music with a Chinese orchestra playing traditional instruments

such as the pipa, yang qin, er hu and di zi.

The Peking Acrobats demonstrate new possibilities for the human

body and a deep understanding of balance, physics and gravity.

China has a population of 1.2 billion. “When you’ve got that

number of people, you can really do things,” Hughes said.

*

FYI

The Peking Acrobats will perform today at 8 p.m. in Orange Coast

College’s Robert B. Moore Theatre. Advance reserved tickets cost $31,

$29 for students and seniors and $14 for children. For more

information, call (714) 432-5880.