One Majestic Night at The Great Chinese Circus

Last night, I was given a chance to witness a spectacular show of acrobats, jugglers, contortionists, and a lot more. It was The Great Chinese Circus from Hebei China. The Great Chinese Circus believed to start around 2000 or 3000 years ago as a form of art. They were considered somewhat alike the court jesters but fairly formal and serious. Unlike most circus, they performed without animals such as lions, dogs, etc. but they rather concentrate on the human performing acts. 

The Great Chinese Circus with Acrobats from Hebei. China.

The first and last circus I saw was when I was in 2^nd grade, it was The Great American Circus held at the Reclamation area here in my city. Hey, it was 22 years ago, and there were not so many circus performances or shows here in Bacolod City that caught my interest. So when I saw the ad for this event, I really had to watch this! The show started by 6PM at the University of St. La Salle Coliseum, Bacolod City. The Coliseum was jammed packed with people of all ages. From kids to grandparents, we were all there to enjoy this one of a kind treat that made us all gasp for excitement and awe. 

General Admission Tickets

Ummm... I arrived about 6.30 PM, late due to some circumstances but I hope I did not miss a lot. When I arrived, the show has already started and I began with the girl juggling a vase with her feet. What was wonderful about this was she then juggled a wooden table with her feet while lying back. I was clapping and having fun. And I thought, this was going to be a good night.

The Table Juggler

And I was not disappointed. The acts were magical and jaw-dropping. I was truly delighted by the aerial dance. Being suspended on mid-air with nothing but a blue silk cloth to hold on to dear life. This was my favorite part of the entire program. I just love how graceful the man and woman moved from silk to silk. It was like dancing while levitating. They were like gliders. One part I Iike was when the woman's legs were wrapped with the cloth, splitting in mid-air, and holding her partner while he was performing some acrobatic acts on the air. It was comparable to a romantic scene in a ballet or a pair figure skating performance only that this involves flying (or suspension.)

One of the highlights of the show: Aerial Dancers

Aerial Dancers gliding.

The evening was full of great acts that were heart-stopping. One of which was when a balancer stacked up a small table, 6 chairs and balanced himself on the tilted top most chair.

The Balancer

And he was not the only balancer of the night. There were six girls holding long poles or sticks with plates spinning at each end. They were doing stunts like tumbling and pyramids while holding or spinning plates with their hands that you cannot believe those plates were not glued to the pole.

 

The Plate Spinners

A male duo was doing the hand balancing act that is common for circuses which exhibited great muscle strength and equilibrium.

The Hand Balancing Act

There were as well a group of ladies playing with yoyos. Lots of turning and tossing of those big green yoyos, passing the circle from one far corner of the stage to the other. There was a point in the act that one girl was not able to catch the yoyo that was passed to her from across the stage. But all in all, salute to their great talent.

 

The Yo-Yo girls

Hat jugglers were also present in the show. They were 8 men holding 3 hats each. They were doing crazy and funny tricks with the hats such as tossing and passing it to each other. They were also a comedic act.

Hat Jugglers

A contortionist added more excitement to the night with all those body twisting and bending and all. Whew! Such flexibility, I had to believe she was not a human being to be able to do all those. 

Contortionist with the Candle Holders on her feet, hands and forehead.

An exciting part of the night that I agree most of the audience enjoyed was the men dressed in colorful spandex were jumping to a number of rings across the stage. I call them the Ring Jumpers! At first, there were just two rings in different sizes. Until more small circles were added to increase the height of the biggest one. They even had to do somersaults to be able to reach the highest ring that they needed to get through. And one exhilarating part of the performance was when they moved the rings to the edge of the stage. To describe this more, the rings were set higher about 10 feet and if the jumpers made one wrong move, he will dive straight off the stage. But gladly, they were able to finish the act smoothly.

The Ring Jumpers in colorful spandex ;)

The array of hair-raising and thrilling unbelievable acts ended with an entire group of balancing contortionist. It was a great way to end the entire night of intoxicating and fascinating sets of performances that left the spectators breathless.

The Final Act

And that was, ladies and gentlemen, The Great Chinese Circus!

This evening has brought back the kid in me. I was in awe the whole night, clapping, gasping and ooohing with the entire viewers during entire of the show. I totally enjoyed all the stunts and tricks. They did not let all the audience down. They have delivered an entertaining show that will surely be remembered by all who have witnessed. From the general admission to the VIP, it was worth it!