Jaw-dropping celebration of Chinese culture
Spectacular, outstanding and at times gobsmacking acrobatic and juggling skills ushered in the Chinese zodiac Year of the Pig at the Regent on Broadway on Waitangi Day.
Virtuoso performances in a show directed by Deng Baojin for the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism wowed the big matinee crowd, with feats of artistry, athleticism, balance, strength, timing and skill.
The performance was introduced by Massey University’s Jade Zhou, accompanied by local 8-year-old assistants, Yu Shan Lee and Jilly Hou, with an eloquent and light-hearted explanation of what the Year of the Pig represents.
The 24 members of the Jinan Acrobatic Troupe, in an array of dazzling costumes, then presented 10 acts of dizzying diversity and dexterity – from co-ordinated trick cycling and bicycle sculpture to spinning multiple plates from various impossible body positions.
The opening act from 14-year-old Wang Tong Qi showed a phenomenal level of physical control. Balanced upside-down on one hand for a prolonged period, while gracefully moving the rest of his suspended body into various artistic shapes and poses, it was as if gravity did not exist.
For its exceptional novelty and good humour, the baton-juggling act by Zhao Xiang Long and Zhang He will take some beating. As the batons kept whirling between them, the two stripped off and swapped their hats, jackets, shirts, pants and shoes before re-dressing themselves. Neither missed a beat during the quick-fire clothing exchange.
The troupe’s multi international award-winning drill ring team also astonished by tumbling, leaping and back-flipping at speed through tiers of metal hoops, which for the finale were stacked five high.
Using his body as the spokes of a giant ring, Xie Chao’s controlled rolling hoop routine provided another impressive demonstration of athletic prowess. It would stop traffic if he commuted to work that way along the cycle lane.
Another act had a three-tier stack of glasses balanced at the end of a rod from the chin of a the lead performer while she climbed upon, and then swung upside down from a hoop.
The innovative ways that umbrellas, diabolos (Chinese yoyos) and straw hats were juggled and controlled during presentation of traditional Chinese stories, had to be seen to be appreciated.
To experience this exceptional troupe of performers and their jawdropping levels of acrobatic agility was indeed a wonderful privilege.