By Dave Finnigan Edmonds, WA

 

"There are 20,000 professional acrobats in China, organized into about 110 troupes. Half are supported by the State, half by individual collectives. Every city has a troupe, and so do many large communes and military units." This incredible set of statistics was casually passed on by Comerade Chang Jian, director of the Peijing Acrobatic Troupe in his office in Peijing (Peking).

 

Getting to this acrobatic Mecca was not easy. I had tried every bureaucratic maneuver in my repertoire to get an official invitation for the IJA to send a mission to China. Unfortunately, the direct translation of "juggler" into Chinese is "to perform sleight of hand" or "to manipulate by trickery", and we got lumped together with pickpockets and magicians. I finally wangled my way in on a trade mission from the Seattle Chamber of Commerce, and spent two weeks in Kwang Chow (Canton), Shanghai, and Peijlng meeting and juggling with members of the resident troupes. Rather than going into detail on each troupe, I'll simply pass on a generalized picture of what it's like to join an  acrobatic troupe in China.

Discovering Talent

Before "liberation" in 1949, most performers were from circus families. They had to work hard to gain and keep their skills, and performances were often few and far between. The life of the acrobat was hard and they traveled constantly if they could not get a patron.

All that has changed. Now, performers are recruited through auditions from the general population. Life is secure and there is plenty of time to practice. Being an acrobat is the dream of many Chinese youngsters.

Teachers at the primary level are on the lookout for talented eight to ten-year-olds. If they find a youngster with potential, they call their local troupe and one of the coaches or teachers from the troupe visits the school. Prospective students are selected on the basis of appearance, health, physical skill and academic capability. It is a great honor to be asked to try out.

Once selected, the applicant is given an examination on physical capabilities, rhythm, balance, flexibility, strength and endurance, reaction time, attitude and speed with which skills are acquired ­ as well as academics. Of course, all skills are needed, so the troupe looks for catchers as well as flyers. Those who pass this preliminary screening move into the dorms. If they work hard and keep their grades up in the team school, they will be with the troupe for life.

The Daily Routine

Everything in China moves at a mellow pace, and the acrobats are no exception. They get up early, but so does everyone eLse. Stress seems minimal, and the camaraderie is so obvious you can almost touch it. A typical day (Monday through Saturday) looks like this: