Acrobatics and opera combine for festival

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Peking Opera and acrobatics are both remarkable traditional Chinese art forms which have endlessly charmed audiences from home and abroad. But what kind of chemistry is created when the two arts are combined?

"Monkey King", "Farewell, My Concubine", and "At the Crossroad" are well-known Peking Opera classics. But this time, they've been mixed and enriched with breath-taking acrobatics, such as diving through hoops, spinning plates and body contortions. Combined with music, dancing and new sets, the extravaganza offers a new opportunity to mix and match stage art.

This show, titled "Fragrance of Opera", was staged by the Jinan Acrobatics Troupe, from East China's Shandong Province. All the stunts they performed are from award winning programs of international competitions. Wearing Peking Opera costumes and make-up, the acrobats provided heart stopping stunts, enhancing the artistic value of the show.

And that's exactly the idea that the show director Liu Chun imagined.

Director Liu Chun said, "We focused on the stage effects, such as lighting. Also the audience will find the music is not only opera, but symphonic, jazz and even pop. We are now in a new era and how can we attract the audience back to see traditional arts like opera and acrobatics? I think that is to give them a new look with today's tastes."

It took the troupe three years to prepare the show. The innovative spectacle has been invited to hundreds of festivals since its release in 2008. It was included in the Beijing Olympics stage art performance series.

It is also a key item of the Ninth "Meet in Beijing" Chinese Original Performances Project, aimed at promoting stage art to the international market.

The show performed at Beijing's Poly Theatre over the weekend and they are promising to return very soon.