The Chinese State Circus is a touring

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclist ...

that aims to present

Chinese circus Chinese variety art () refers to a wide range of acrobatic acts, balancing acts and other demonstrations of physical skill traditionally performed by a troupe in China. Many of these acts have a long history in China and are still performed toda ...

arts to European audiences. The show is based on Chinese

acrobatic Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance (ability), balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sports, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most ...

acts. All the performers come from China and are trained in the Chinese tradition of ''Ma Xi'', or

hippodrama Hippodrama, horse drama, or equestrian drama is a genre of theatrical show blending circus horsemanship display with popular melodrama theatre. Definition Kimberly Poppiti defines hippodrama as "plays written or performed to include a live horse ...

(horse theatre). But no live animals are used in the Chinese State Circus shows. The show combines

kung fu Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...

martial arts from the

Shaolin Temple Shaolin Monastery (少林寺 ''Shàolínsì''), also known as Shaolin Temple, is a renowned monastic institution recognized as the birthplace of Chan Buddhism and the cradle of Shaolin Kung Fu. It is located at the foot of Wuru Peak of the So ...

, artists from the

Peking Opera Peking opera, or Beijing opera (), is the most dominant form of Chinese opera, which combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics. It arose in Beijing in the mid-Qing dynasty (1644–1912) and became fully developed and recognize ...

and other Chinese speciality acts. Continuity is provided by the figure of the

Monkey King The Monkey King, also known as Sun Wukong ( zh, t=孫悟空, s=孙悟空, first=t) in Mandarin Chinese, is a legendary mythical figure best known as one of the main characters in the 16th-century Chinese novel ''Journey to the West'' ( zh, ...

who appears between acts. The show also includes a

lion dance F Lion dance () is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture and other Asian countries in which performers mimic a lion's movements in a lion costume to bring good luck and fortune. The lion dance is usually performed during the Chinese New ...

, plate spinners,

diabolo The diabolo ( ; commonly misspelled ''diablo'') is a juggling or circus prop consisting of an axle () and two cups (hourglass/egg timer shaped) or discs derived from the Chinese yo-yo. This object is spun using a string attached to two hand ...

aerial silks Aerial silks (also known as aerial contortion, aerial ribbons, aerial tissues, fabric, ribbon, or ''tissu'') is a type of performance in which one or more artists perform aerial acrobatics while hanging from a specialist fabric. The fabric may b ...

and an excerpt from the

Chinese opera Traditional Chinese opera (), or ''Xiqu'', is a form of musical theatre in China with roots going back to the early periods in China. It is an amalgamation of various art forms that existed in ancient China, and evolved gradually over more tha ...

. Chinese acrobatics is a common form of art among the people. It has a long history with a distinct national style, evolving from the Chinese people's everyday life and work. Historical records, ancient carvings and decorative patterns on utensils show the origin of Chinese acrobatics more than two thousands years ago in the period of the Warring States. During the Quin and Han Dynasties (221 B.C. – 220 A.D.) acrobatic artistes developed a wide repertoire, and acrobatics was thus called "the show of a hundred tricks." It reached a high level as a performing art by the Han Dynasty. Acrobatics has played an important role in cultural exchanges between China and other nations. In the past 35 years, Chinese acrobatic troupes have toured more than 100 countries and regions throughout the world. Their excellent performances were warmly welcomed and highly appreciated by the people of various countries. The Chinese State Circus was an idea started back in the 1990s after director Phillip Gandey witnessed a group of Chinese acrobats performing to great acclaim at the Monte Carlo Circus Festival. He was astounded at the quality, depth and sheer diversity of such Chinese acrobatic troupes.

Tours

The circus has toured in the United Kingdom since 1992. The circus is owned by Gandey World Class Productions. The Chinese State Circus made history by being the first international entertainment Angola has hosted in over 40 years in December 2012 with their show ''Mulan''. In 2013 they toured their production "Yin Yang" extensively throughout the UK. In 2015, the Chinese State Circus was included in the programme for the first ever

Biennale Internationale des Arts du Cirque The Biennale Internationale des Arts du Cirque is the largest contemporary circus festival in the world, held in the south of France every two years. The event is organised by the Archaos circus company, and the first edition, in 2015, attracted s ...

which is held in the south of France. The year 2016 saw the return of the Chinese State Circus with their newly devised production "Dynasty". The First leg of the tour premiered on 7 September at the Nottingham Concert Hall followed by over 50 dates in various Theatres across the UK. The Theatre tour was punctuated with some longer Big Top stands. 2017 - After the success of the previous year's tour, The Chinese State Circus is currently touring the UK in a major Big Top Tour. The tour started in late March at Sandown Racecourse, Esher, and will continue at various venues until late autumn.Visit Leeds UK, Chinese State Circus - Dynasty
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References

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.chinesestatecircus.com/
Facebook page

Youtube page
Circuses Overseas Chinese organisations

Tours

See also

References

External links