What a Circus!
February 2, 2010
On Sunday night, we went to ERA - A Tradition in Time, which is a local circus show. It's much like Cirque du Soliel, but focusing on individual circus acts, with less of an ongoing story.
The show is in a small theater which holds about 2000 people, so even seats in the very last row are very close to the action and have a great view!
The ongoing thread of a story was based on the evolution of Chinese traditions through the last hundred years.
The show started with a "hand-balancing" act, where the acrobat balanced on one hand on a rotating pillar (only large enough to put their hand!) She then was displaying incredible feat of strength and balance throughout the act!
The next act was a "teeterboard" act where the acrobat balanced a board on a metal cylinder and stood on it. Then he added 4 glasses to and another board to make the teeterboard more challenging. Then another 4 glasses and board (now to three levels high) ... and then another. He is now balancing on a board which is four levels high (see attached photo). Next, he threw a bowl up and caught it on his head!! Then he balanced another bowl on his foot - and tossed it in the air -- and caught it on his head! Then he balanced 2 bowls (at the same time) on his foot, tossed them into the air -- and ... you guessed it ... caught it on his head! Then 3 bowls, then four! He now has 10 bowls balancing on his head, while he is balancing on the teeterboard. Then he took a TEAPOT, balanced it on his foot ... and caught it inside the 10 stacked bowls on his head! Then he took a spoon, balanced it on his foot, tossed it in the air, and caught it in the teapot, inside the 10 stacked bowls ... ON HIS HEAD! WOO!!! Very cool!
The third act included 10 acrobats, imitating two gangs, challenging each other to a showdown. Each person tried to outdo the next to prove their gang was better than the other. This was all done in the competion of acrobatics jumping through hoops. Leaps, tumbles, flips -- all through sets of hoops. Great showing!
The fourth act is something called "Adagio" - which is the classic two person acrobatic team where they do amazing balancing acts! This is the very common acts that you will see when one person is balancing on the other person's foot or shoulders while being suspended in the air. The strength these people have is just amazing!
The fifth act was a guy throwing and balancing large ceramic pots. Catching with his shoulder, head, spinning the pots, rolling from one arm to the other, etc. Cool - but this wasn't really all that.
The last act before the intermission was the "Wheel of Death" - I caught my breath SO many times during this act - I thought for sure someone was going to fall and get hurt! This was a large wheel with 3 smaller wheels inside (much like a ferris wheel) and the acrobats would spin the wheel faster and faster then would do acrobatic acts on the OUTSIDE of the wheel while it was spinning around at least 100' above the ground. It was so scary!!
After the 10 minute intermission, we came back with another Adagio act, but this time it was three people. Simply amazing to see how strong these people are!
The seventh act was VERY cool - with a seesaw as the launching pad, two acrobats would jump onto the see-saw, and launch another acrobat high into the air and he would do flips and crazy acrobatic acts ... and land on a target. They were launching guys on pogo sticks, stilts, and launching someone into a chair, which was being held by another guy! VERY cool!
The eighth act was something I remember from Celebrity Circus - the Bungee Trapeeze. The girls were very strong and graceful - a beautiful demonstration!!
The ninth act was the trampoline ... one of my favorites! Crazy flips and jumps! 1080, double twist, pike position ... it was like watching the freestyle skiing or snowboarding ...but on trampolines!
The second to last act was a beautiful love story acted out on the air silks. This is where the acrobats merely wrap their arms in long silk scarves and they fly through the air - with almost nothing holding onto them!
The last act - and the coup de tete was the sphere cage. They put one motorcycle in the cage and around they went in the cage. Then they added another ... and another. All the way up to EIGHT motorcycles in the sphere cage at ONE TIME!! They were literally inches from each other and they didn't crash!! It was SO amazing!!!!
The show is in a small theater which holds about 2000 people, so even seats in the very last row are very close to the action and have a great view!
The ongoing thread of a story was based on the evolution of Chinese traditions through the last hundred years.
The show started with a "hand-balancing" act, where the acrobat balanced on one hand on a rotating pillar (only large enough to put their hand!) She then was displaying incredible feat of strength and balance throughout the act!
The next act was a "teeterboard" act where the acrobat balanced a board on a metal cylinder and stood on it. Then he added 4 glasses to and another board to make the teeterboard more challenging. Then another 4 glasses and board (now to three levels high) ... and then another. He is now balancing on a board which is four levels high (see attached photo). Next, he threw a bowl up and caught it on his head!! Then he balanced another bowl on his foot - and tossed it in the air -- and caught it on his head! Then he balanced 2 bowls (at the same time) on his foot, tossed them into the air -- and ... you guessed it ... caught it on his head! Then 3 bowls, then four! He now has 10 bowls balancing on his head, while he is balancing on the teeterboard. Then he took a TEAPOT, balanced it on his foot ... and caught it inside the 10 stacked bowls on his head! Then he took a spoon, balanced it on his foot, tossed it in the air, and caught it in the teapot, inside the 10 stacked bowls ... ON HIS HEAD! WOO!!! Very cool!
The third act included 10 acrobats, imitating two gangs, challenging each other to a showdown. Each person tried to outdo the next to prove their gang was better than the other. This was all done in the competion of acrobatics jumping through hoops. Leaps, tumbles, flips -- all through sets of hoops. Great showing!
The fourth act is something called "Adagio" - which is the classic two person acrobatic team where they do amazing balancing acts! This is the very common acts that you will see when one person is balancing on the other person's foot or shoulders while being suspended in the air. The strength these people have is just amazing!
The fifth act was a guy throwing and balancing large ceramic pots. Catching with his shoulder, head, spinning the pots, rolling from one arm to the other, etc. Cool - but this wasn't really all that.
The last act before the intermission was the "Wheel of Death" - I caught my breath SO many times during this act - I thought for sure someone was going to fall and get hurt! This was a large wheel with 3 smaller wheels inside (much like a ferris wheel) and the acrobats would spin the wheel faster and faster then would do acrobatic acts on the OUTSIDE of the wheel while it was spinning around at least 100' above the ground. It was so scary!!After the 10 minute intermission, we came back with another Adagio act, but this time it was three people. Simply amazing to see how strong these people are!
The seventh act was VERY cool - with a seesaw as the launching pad, two acrobats would jump onto the see-saw, and launch another acrobat high into the air and he would do flips and crazy acrobatic acts ... and land on a target. They were launching guys on pogo sticks, stilts, and launching someone into a chair, which was being held by another guy! VERY cool!
The eighth act was something I remember from Celebrity Circus - the Bungee Trapeeze. The girls were very strong and graceful - a beautiful demonstration!!
The ninth act was the trampoline ... one of my favorites! Crazy flips and jumps! 1080, double twist, pike position ... it was like watching the freestyle skiing or snowboarding ...but on trampolines!
The second to last act was a beautiful love story acted out on the air silks. This is where the acrobats merely wrap their arms in long silk scarves and they fly through the air - with almost nothing holding onto them!
The last act - and the coup de tete was the sphere cage. They put one motorcycle in the cage and around they went in the cage. Then they added another ... and another. All the way up to EIGHT motorcycles in the sphere cage at ONE TIME!! They were literally inches from each other and they didn't crash!! It was SO amazing!!!!
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