CHINESE STATE CIRCUS

The Chinese State Circus leaves audience in awe

 

Erin Nikitchyuk
9 acrobats balancing on a unicycle
from:  galleonnews.com
By Kate Willington
20th May 2013
Portsmouth,NH--It’s fair to say that on the eve of Wednesday 8th May, everyone that sat in the Kings Theatre auditorium left astonished from the performance they had just seen. It was definitely one to remember.

The Chinese State Circus premiered their new production Yin Yang, and not expecting them to perform such high risk acrobatics, everyone was in absolute awe at what they were witnessing.

The circus was made up of a cast of around twenty five, with the male acrobats performing the fast paced, daring stunts; which involved climbing up poles the size of the ceiling with no harnesses attached while the women showed off their talents in a more delicate manner.

I often found myself gasping as the stunts they were performing were in such close proximity to the audience.

On the few occasions when something went wrong, for instance something as insignificant as a prop being dropped or someone clipping their foot on the apparatus, both the cast and audience took it in good spirit as the performer then gave it a second go, proving successful. No one could blame them for there being slight mishaps as most people would never have the guts to even attempt what was being done.
The circus jester, another aspect added to the show, brought an excellent and fun element to the night as he was very keen on audience participation. The jester appeared a few times throughout the performance and managed to get male audience members (I know I wouldn’t have gone up there) to partake in some more audience-friendly acrobatic stunts.

Normally I find jesters slightly forced and awkward, but this one was well equipped with one liners and was genuinely funny which was a change from acts I’d seen before. What really stood out even after the show had ended was the passion that had gone into it. The way in which cast members executed their movements and presented the acts to the audience showed pure and utter professionalism.

The show embodies a Chinese art form that has a history spanning over 2,000 years! People who involve themselves in this culture see it as a way of life and not something of hardship. I cannot praise highly enough the talents of The Chinese State Circus. If you ever get a chance to witness this spectacular cast then do not miss out.