China’s most gifted tumblers, contortionists, jugglers, cyclists and gymnasts will be in Chilliwack next week.
The Peking Acrobats of China will perform the seemingly impossible when they bring their show featuring the excitement and festive pageantry of a Chinese carnival to the Chilliwack Cultural Centre stage on Jan. 30.
They will perform this ancient folk art tradition in beautiful costumes, with dazzling special effects and live musicians.
Through amazing displays of contortion, flexibility and control, the acrobats test the limits of human ability. They perform daring manoeuvres atop a precarious pagoda of chairs and display their technical prowess at such arts as trick-cycling, precision tumbling, juggling, somersaulting and gymnastics.
They will be accompanied by live musicians playing traditional Chinese instruments.
The Peking Acrobats ability to perform incredible feats is rooted in centuries of Chinese history and folk art. Acrobatic acts in China can be found in records as early as the Ch’in Dynasty, 221 to 207 B.C., and flourished under the Han Dynasty, 207 B.C. to 220 A.D. Continuing the tradition of Chinese acrobatics, The Peking Acrobats aspire to impress their audiences with their confidence and the vibrant tradition of their artistry.
“The physical feats of The Peking Acrobats seem almost surreal, defying laws of body mechanics and physics. It’s like watching ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’, without camera tricks creating special effects,” said Angela Jones of Dance Insider about the acrobatic troupe. “All the members of this troupe are amazing athletes with grace and charisma in addition to their razor-sharp precision… everything entertainment should be, uplifting, awe-inspiring and an exploration of the full extent of human potential. When a show can fill you with the wonder of a 10-year-old, you know you have had a good time…that’s success.”
The Peking Acrobats of China is coming to the Chilliwack Cultural Centre on Jan. 30 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are: adults $40, seniors $37, youth $35, and can be purchased at the Centre Box Office, online at chilliwackculturalcentre.ca, or by calling 604-391-SHOW(7469).
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