Peking Acrobats Astound with Daring Feats of Agility

Media Contact:

Kristen Gleason
Director of Marketing
The Paramount Theater
215 East Main Street
Charlottesville, VA 22902
434.979.1922 ext. 103
kristen@theparamount.net

For Immediate Release

February 29, 2008

Daring maneuvers atop a precarious pagoda of chairs; treacherous wire walking, a trick cycling kaleidoscope of magnificent movement; powerful precision tumbling, somersaulting and gymnastics; amazing displays of contortion, flexibility and control -- all this and more describes the performance offered by The Peking Acrobats from the People's Republic of China.

With excitement and festive pageantry evoking an atmosphere like that of a Chinese carnival, exciting new acts, and new twists on old favorites, The Peking Acrobats return to The Paramount Theater, presenting a performance for all ages on Saturday, March 15 at 7 pm.

In China, high honor is conferred upon those skilled enough to become acrobats because of the unusual and difficult nature of the feats involved. Approximately 100,000 acrobats are currently studying at schools dedicated to the art.

After ten or eleven years of extensive tutoring (which often begins as early as age 5 or 6), the student joins a professional troupe, usually a citywide organization that draws its members regionally. Only the best acrobats find themselves members of an elite world-touring troupe such as The Peking Acrobats.

This troupe of China's most gifted tumblers, contortionists, jugglers, cyclists, and gymnasts -- complemented by live musicians playing traditional Chinese instruments -- brings the 2,000 year-old tradition of acrobatics their current 50-city North American tour, their twenty-second one in as many seasons. In addition, the troupe has performed in the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, and Switzerland.

Besides presenting traditional performances, the company has blended their unique brand of acrobatics with the majestic sound of orchestras such as the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The San Diego Symphony Orchestra, The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and The San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.

The company and its members have made numerous appearances with credits including the films Ocean’s 11, Ocean’s 12, and Ocean’s 13, The Wayne Brady Show, and Nickelodeon’s Unfabulous. The Peking Acrobats set the world record for the Human Chair Stack on Fox’s Guinness Book Primetime, where they astounded television audiences with their bravery and dexterity, precariously balancing six people atop six chairs 21 feet up in the air without safety lines.

As said by Angela Jones of Dance Insider, “The physical feats of The Peking Acrobats seem almost ... surreal, defying laws of body mechanics and physics. It’s like watching Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon LIVE, without camera tricks creating special effects.

"All the members of this troupe are amazing athletes with grace and charisma in addition to their razor-sharp precision ... everything entertainment should be, uplifting, awe-inspiring and an exploration of the full extent of human potential.”

Tickets for The Peking Acrobats on Saturday, March 15 at 7 pm are $33.50, $36.50, $39.50, and $44.50. Half-price student rush tickets and group discounts are also available.

Tickets are available online or through The Paramount’s Box Office at 434.979.1333.

To learn more about The Peking Acrobats, please visit www.chineseacrobats.com.