Acrobats flaunt lifelong arts

Eight white chairs balanced tenuously on top of one another, making up a leaning tower that stood more than 20 feet high. A performer stood at the top, but his stunt wasn’t over just yet: He lowered his hands, propped himself up and executed a full handstand in front of hundreds of gaping audience members.

The Peking Acrobats make the unfathomable look comfortable. It may be hard to stick 20 people into a Volkswagen Beetle, but it’s even tougher — and much more risky — to have 10 people balancing in the air on a single bike. For the acrobats, though, it’s a daily occurrence.

“The bike thing, that was cool,” Jacob Dutile, 12, said after he saw the acrobats do their thing Wednesday at the Orange County Fair.

Whether it was the body contortions, the plate spinning or the human pyramids, the acrobats — who will be at the fair until its conclusion on Sunday — certainly left their impression on fairgoers Wednesday night.

“I’ve seen several of their performances,” said Ken Roberts, who works for the fair. “It’s always exciting, and the crowd always loves it.”

Madison Gallatin, 12, agreed.

“It was awesome,” she said.

While the rest of the world will focus its eyes on Beijing next week for the opening of the 2008 Olympic Games, the performers from that very city will continue their tour around the states after leaving the fair on Sunday.

The acrobats have been performing three nightly shows (5:15 p.m., 7:15 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.) since the fair opened on July 11. The 30-minute performances take place at Park Plaza, which is right near the fair’s green gate entrance.

Ken Hai, director of the Peking Acrobats, has enjoyed his troupe’s stay at the Fairgrounds thus far.

“It’s good. We like [to make] people happy,” he said, referring to the excitement and applause from the crowd.

Hai’s group of 10 performers travel around the world year-round to put on shows like the one featured at the Orange County Fair. With acrobats from 14 to 24 years old, the performers have been perfecting their abilities for most of their lives.

They have been performing at the fair for more than three years now, according to Hai.

As a whole, the Peking Acrobats shows last night were just one of many numerous attractions and activities to take in at the fair. But don’t be fooled; those in the audience are likely to remember the performance for a while.

“It was unbelievable,” Dutile said.

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