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Years of training for minutes performing acrobatic feats

New Shanghai Circus will present two shows today

Dancers Chi Chi (right) and An An of the Anhui Acrobatic Troupe apply makeup backstage Monday afternoon before their performance at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. The Acrobats of China featuring the New Shanghai Circus opened with two shows Monday and will perform again at 4 and 7 p.m. today in the Castle Theater. • The Maui News / COLLEEN UECHI photo

KAHULUI — Chi Chi is just 21 years old, but she’s already spent 17 years of her life dancing for the Anhui Acrobatic Troupe in China.

Chi was around 4 years old when the troupe came to her dancing school to recruit performers. They noticed her talent and asked her to join. Since then she’s traveled the world and is now starring on the Maui stage this week with a cast of young acrobats who have spent years honing their skills.

“There’s a famous Chinese idiom,” 30-year-old troupe leader Long Long said through a translator. “It’s called ‘one minute onstage, 10 years offstage.’ That means you spend 10 years to prepare for just a one-minute show. So each act of this show requires four to five years of practice.”

On Monday, the Acrobats of China featuring the New Shanghai Circus brought their stunts and balancing acts to the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. They will perform two shows again today at 4 and 7 p.m. in the Castle Theater.

China’s rich history of acrobatics goes back more than 2,500 years, a tradition that arose from village harvest festivals and the everyday skills of peasants, sailors and local craftsmen.

Troupe leader Long Long practices with a yo-yo before the performance. • The Maui News / COLLEEN UECHI photo

Show host and manager Lucas Case said that the two-hour performance is a blend of modern and traditional Chinese acrobatics, including contortionist acts, hat juggling, hoop diving and slack-wire walking.

The show is called “A Beautiful Dream,” centered on a girl named Mei Li (played by Chi) who’s “longing for the art of acrobatics.”

“She falls asleep at the very beginning of the show, and these elves come out,” Case said. “They carry her through this really awesome dream. . . . She goes through all of these challenges throughout the show. And at the end is a very happy time, and she realizes all of her dreams have come true.”

The New Shanghai Circus is the touring company of the Shanghai Magic Troupe. About 20 performers from the Anhui Acrobatic Troupe of Anhui province in eastern China also appear in the Maui show.

Many of the performers are like Chi: 20-somethings who have been training from a very young age. An An, the youngest member at 15 years old, has been with the troupe for seven years. Long, the troupe leader, has been with the group for 20 years. An, Long and Chi were all recruited when the troupe visited their local dancing schools. Another acrobat, 24-year-old Zhao Kang, was chosen when the troupe saw him performing in a stadium 15 years ago.

Performer Zhao Kang spins a pair of disks Monday in the Castle Theater. • The Maui News / COLLEEN UECHI photo

“It was very hard for us, especially when we were very young,” Long said. “We had to practice every day. It was really miserable during our childhood. But when we became a professional, our effort finally paid off. That means you have to be consistent. You have to be working really hard to achieve something.”

The performers train at least eight hours every day and spend more time with each other than they do with their own families. In between their acrobatic training, they also take normal academic courses, Kang said.

Translator John Yang explained that troupe levels range from national to provincial to city and county. In China, there are acrobatic troupes associated with every province, which is similar to the state level in the United States, Yang said. Troupes are government-run and competitive to join. The Anhui troupe has been around since 1956.

“They don’t have to worry about the payroll or their meals or their retirement,” Yang said. “But it’s kind of difficult for them to join the group. . . . Anhui province has almost 100 million people. You can see how difficult it is.”

The career of an acrobat is fairly short, Long explained. Once a person stops being able to do certain tricks, his or her career is over. But the Anhui acrobats said they plan to stick to the field of performance arts. Long is interested in managing a troupe some day. Chi is thinking about becoming an art director for a dancing troupe, and Kang wants to mentor younger acrobats in tricks and stunts. An, the youngest, said she hasn’t thought about life offstage yet. For now, she’s just focused on improving her dancing.

Chi Chi, the main actress of the show, stands onstage while a crew tests the lighting. • The Maui News / COLLEEN UECHI photo

The four said it was their first time to Hawaii, and Case said they slept undisturbed through the false missile alert while in Honolulu on Saturday. After their performances on Maui, the group is hoping to arrange a whale watching tour.

Tickets to the show cost $12, $25 and $35. Seats in the $25 and $35 sections are available at half-price for children ages 3 to 12. Call the MACC box office at 242-SHOW or visit mauiarts.org.

* Colleen Uechi can be reached at cuechi@mauinews.com.

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