Anyone who has ever seen the Chinese State Circus and considers a repeat visit unnecessary must think again, as Phillip Gandey always finds something new. With China hosting the 2008 Olympic Games, this year’s show is a celebration subtitled Olympic Nation Spectacular.
From the opening parade, which is full of colour, pageantry and lavish costumes, the evening - narrated by the Peking Opera’s Monkey King - maintains a high level of excitement, and the artists seem to be making an extra effort to interact with the audience.
A breathtaking acrobatic routine hints at the abilities to come and is followed by the dainty and precise plate-spinners. Each girl constantly whirrs ten plates on sticks while performing precarious somersaults or bends, one even using each other’s heads as stepping stones.
The traditional skills are excellent, and include contortion and the lion dance - especially good when they balance two-high on rolling globes - plus there are fun straw hat jugglers, who form pyramids while passing the hats.
For martial arts exponents, the Shaolin Wu-Shu Warriors are back to demonstrate their incredible feats of concentration and strength.
After the interval, the music and costumes become more modern, and although the globe motorcyclists don’t appear, there are glittering diabolists, hoop-divers and a sensational duo on silks, whose daring moves of wrist and neck spins and scary catches thrill everyone. Unseen here before are Chinese-pole leaps and somersaults transferred to swinging poles.
An Olympics-themed medley of gymnastics on beam, Roman rings, parallel bars and pommel horse closes an enthralling and most enjoyable evening.
Production information can change over the run of the show.
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