China’s titans of tumbling roll in
National Acrobatic Troupe set for three high-energy shows at Thailand Cultural Centre
COMING TO BANGKOK’S 18th International Festival of Dance & Music at the end of this month, China’s National Acrobatic Troupe has been acclaimed as one of the finest in the world.
There will be performances on September 30, October 1 and 2.
The Beijing outfit was the first national performing-arts troupe established by the Chinese government, in 1950. The current roster has won 60 gold medals in competitions at home and abroad and has visited 124 countries on its perennial tours.
The show it’s bringing to Thailand is an elegant gala of kinetic movement and superb feats of balance choreographed to perfection, combining acrobatics with dance, drama, kung fu and opera.
The new programme includes “Chinese Soul”, “Splendid”, “Goodbye, UFO” and “Treasure” and some of China’s top acrobats will be onstage, among them Gao Xuefeng, Han Ying, Zhao Xiao and Cao Kai.
The pace is punishing, but the troupe keeps the audience engaged from beginning to end. Along with the dazzling action onstage, the music also has audiences raving.
The National Acrobatic Troupe’s success lies not just in the ability of its performers but the carefully arranged act that mingles tradition with innovation. As the troupe creates new acts, it helps preserve traditional art forms by giving them a new platform.
At the helm is artistic director and choreographer Sun Lili, an acclaimed acrobat in her own right. Sun knows how to engage the audience, having done so onstage for four decades.
She is also artistic director of the Beijing Acrobatic School, steadily creating spectacular acts – 40 of which have won top prizes in global competitions. “Plate Spinning” won the Golden Lion Award in China’s National Acrobatics Competition, “Slack Wire”, the Golden K Award at Monaco’s International Youth Circus Festival, and “Concerto- Contortionists” the gold award at France’s Tomorrow Circus Festival.
The troupe’s line-up of acts includes “Diabolos”, “Concerto – Black & White Fantasy”, “Hand Balancing & Equilibrium”, “Tumbling through Hoops” and “Pagoda of Bowls” (all Golden Clown Award winners at the International Circus Festival of Monte Carlo). “Dream Chasing in the Sky – Swinging High Crutches” won the President’s Award at the International Circus Festival of Tomorrow in France. Several of these will be showcased in Bangkok.
The Festival is sponsored by Crown Property Bureau, Bangkok Bank, Bangkok Dusit Medical Services, BMW Thailand, B Grimm Group, Dusit Thani Bangkok, Indorama Ventures, Ministry of Culture, Nation Group, PTT, Singha Corp, Thai Airways International and the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
China’s National Acrobatic Troupe will be performing at the Thailand Cultural Centre at 7.30pm on September 30 and 2.30pm on October 1 and 2.
Seats are on sale at www.ThaiTicketMajor.com and (02) 262 3191.
Find out more at www.BangkokFestivals.com.
