Golden Dragon Acrobats perform Cirque D'Or Tuesday
By Kristin Nehls, Assistant Entertainment Editor
February 10, 2008 | 2:07 p.m.
Never before has Ohio University played host to a plate-balancing, chair-climbing, Chinese-rooted phenomenon quite like the Golden Dragon Acrobats, who will be presenting Cirque D'Or, a Cirque du Soleil-esque performance, at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 12 at the Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium.
Coming to OU from Hebei, China, the Golden Dragons are a highly acclaimed acrobat troupe that brings life, excitement and culture to the stage. Incorporating authentic Chinese costumes, elaborate stage tricks and a Chinese-inspired soundtrack, the Golden Dragons are unlike any other acrobatic group to visit OU.
With a booming Asian exchange program at OU and an overall interest in the Asian culture, coordinators thought that the Golden Dragons would be a perfect fit for the university’s student body.
"A few years ago we had the Shanghai acrobats from China…and it was nearly sold out. This is similar to that event…and it appeals to students, families and the community,” said Andrew Holzaepfel, associate director of the Office of University Events.
The talent of the Golden Dragon performers is evident in each act of Cirque D’or, and the selection process of the Golden Dragon performers is competitive and crucial to the effectiveness of the show. Training to be a Golden Dragon acrobat begins around age 7, when potential performers are handpicked and sent to boarding schools. These schools allocate half of the day for academics, while the other half is spent preparing for the children's futures in the performing arts.
"At these schools [the performers] learn to walk on their hands the same way we learn to walk on our feet," said Bill Fegan, artists manager at Art Fegan Entertainment and manager of the Golden Dragon troupe, who initially discovered the group in China over 30 years ago.
The teachers of these schools double as acrobatic coaches, and they help the kids develop a specialized skill that the children will one day perform for an audience, such as climbing a tower of chairs or spinning tables with their feet.
OU students can even relate to these performers on a personal level. While the life of the average OU student differs greatly from that of a Golden Dragon performer, the majority of the performers are as young as 19, 18 or even 17 years old.
"Like any young person, [the performers] are really warm, outgoing, wonderful, loving people…and they love what they are doing. It's like going to the office everyday for us,” Fegan said.
Given the young age of these performers, their association with the Golden Dragon Acrobats proves a boastful resume. The troupe has traveled to all 50 states in the United States, as well as 65 other countries on five different continents. The Golden Dragons understand the importance of bringing a bit of their own culture to other cultures throughout the world, Fegan said.
In fact, it is the history behind this show that roots the passion that these performers have, Fegan said. The Golden Dragons' Web site explains how acrobatic traditions began over 25 centuries ago in China when children sought different outlets of entertainment through basic household items, such as plates, tables and chairs. During the Han Dynasty, these household hobbies turned into springtime festivals and eventually transformed into the most highly regarded method of entertainment for the ancient Chinese emperors. The Golden Dragons' escalating popularity in China eventually spread throughout the world, until such groups evolved into Broadway performing stars.
Not only did the Golden Dragons perform on Broadway, but they also left a prominent mark in Broadway history, performing to a sold-out audience on their opening night. The Golden Dragon Acrobat performance was also nominated for two New York Drama Desk awards: Unique Theatrical Experience and Best Choreography.
While each and every act offers a unique perspective of Chinese acrobatics, the most critically acclaimed and highly anticipated part of the Golden Dragon's performance is simply referred to as "The Tower of Chairs." In this daredevil act, a young performer builds a tower of chairs upon which he climbs, maintaining his balance as he gradually adds more and more chairs. After a pile of six chairs has been stacked, the young man climbs to the top of the tower and performs handstands once he reaches the top.
"The people in the balcony will be looking right into his eyes, he goes up that high. It is just so exciting… the audiences love it," Fegan said.
"The Tower of Chairs" is just one of the many unique aspects to the Golden Dragon Acrobats that OU will be embracing this week. While crashing plates and choreographed unicycle acts may not be the typical Tuesday-night endeavor, this Chinese circus is sure to be a culturally enlightening and entertaining experience.
“It is family entertainment. It is a circus. It is colorful," Fegan said. "It is fast moving and breathtaking…it is really just unbelievable the things that these kids do."
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What: The Golden Dragon Acrobats
Where: Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium
When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 12.
Price: $10 for students.