Chinese acrobats
The Dalian Acrobatic and . Variety Troupe, from China, “the Town Hall Auditorium, August 27. Reviewed by ■ Philip Norman. S Amazing, mind-boggling,' terrifying, and spectacularly -unnatural. What do they feed .those Chinese acrobats on — - spring Tolls? t A bewildering array of on the themes of balance, co-ordination, speed, and strength was presented Jast evening. The Dalian -Acrobatic . and . Variety a Troupe played every trick in “the circus and acrobatic book to present a most satis.'■fying .'2 v 2 hours entertainTment; ■>-.. ..'■There was bicycle balancing,. contortionism,' plate spinning, chair pyramids,. feats of strength, gymnastics' ' displays, - clowns, acrobatics
1 on a high elastic wire, and , trickery with a 12ft whip. , Rug, umbrella, and board r balancing and spinning with the feet, a one-man band, , some stylised demonstrations of the martial ' arts, 12 1 women on a bicycle, and a ■ climactic dragon dance performed under fierce ultrai violet -light; were also perf formed. The entertainment , defined the limits of what a I human body is capable of i • doing. The audience’s delight was i. not confined to the display of anatomical deviance on stage. The • accompanying traditional Chinese, orchestral ensemble — comprisingthe zheng, erhu, sheng, dulcimer, pipa, suona, bamboo .- flutes, and assorted percussion, not to;mention a cello. : — played-’brisk, bright, and .
eminently listenable music. Their only indiscretions were to prelude the evening .with “Pokare Kare Ana” and close it with “Now is the Hour” — both oddly arranged and sounding somewhat out of place. Lighting/ effects added much to the impact of the spectacle, particularly in the contortionist act (swathed in pink), the plate spinning (bathed in green) and the dragon dance, in which the ultra-violet lighting picked out only the dragon, and spme props. In all, a most exciting evening’s entertainment of a ‘ very different nature. Stewart Macpherson deserves congratulations for his initiative in presenting this highly . skilled. group..of ..acrobatic ’ /• . :.. _ t. • r
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Press, 28 August 1982, Page 6
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308Chinese acrobats Press, 28 August 1982, Page 6
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