For the first time in its 51-year history, the Guangdong Acrobatic Troupe of China will perform for profit. "In our role as cultural ambassador, half the troupe's time was spent performing abroad, while the other half was devoted to the creation and rehearsal of new programs as well as shows for the People's Liberation Army, of which we are affiliated," explains troupe spokesman Lu Huiping.
The troupe's first for-profit performance, "Acrobatic Soiree-Starry Night," which debuts early next month, is a two-hour show featuring highlights of the company repertoire, including three "Gold Crown" ( the Oscar of acrobatics) winners - "Dual Pagoda of Bowls" (1993), "Springboard Jumping" (1998) and "Hands Withstanding in Ballet," which was performed for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders last year.
The awe-inspiring ballet is the highlight of the show. A melange of Western classical ballet and Chinese traditional acrobatics, the show revolves around a pair of lovers, and requires seamless cooperation between the two performers as well as the chemistry between two minds.
Both starring acrobats, Wei Baohua and Wu Zhengdan, were originally from a Liaoning Province team. When they joined the army in 1998 and became members of the troupe, they had already been performing the ballet for two years. At that point, though, the show was more acrobatic than balletic.
Wu recalls that practices were physically challenging. "We were practicing in ballet shoes for at least 10 hours a day. Wei's shoulders would get hurt and bloody every day, but the injury would scab over the next day, and he would continue practicing," says Wu. Their hard work was rewarded earlier this year when they won the Gold Crown Prize.
"Acrobatic Soiree-Starry Night" is also the first acrobatic show at the Shanghai Grand Theater. "A number of troupes have contacted us, but we selected the Guangdong Acrobatic Troupe -- the top troupe at home," says Qian Shijin, vice president of the theater.
(Eastday.com July 26, 2002)
