Moms, dads, grandparents and kids of all ages: There really is a live performance for all of you to enjoy together. The Golden Dragon Acrobats return to town with a bit of grandeur and spectacle that they are known for. Sunday at Wolf Trap, audiences will witness a 2,700- year old art involving some of the most awesome movements ever performed by the human body. Each year, these artists manage to outdo themselves in combining acrobatics with traditional dance, ancient and contemporary music and costumes.
“This year, the producer has focused on making the show very intense,” said Jeremy Chang, business development coordinator for Asian Artists Productions, the company responsible for bringing the show from China to the United States. “He wants people to be on the edge of their seats during the whole show.”
| Onstage |
| Golden Dragon Acrobats |
| Where: Filene Center, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, 1645 Trap Road, Vienna |
| When: 3 p.m. Sunday |
| Info: $15 to $38; 877-WOLFTRAP, wolftrap.org |
Hardly impossible with world-renowned impresario Danny Chang and his wife, choreographer Angela Chang, at the production helm steering a cast of 23 performers between the ages of 17 and 23.
Relying on precise skill in their movements, these acrobats seem almost able to defy the laws of nature. Not surprisingly, these athletes, who start as early as 7 to 10 years of age, begin with learning the basic principles of gymnastics. After their basic training, they will acquire acrobatic skills through instructors employed for that specific purpose. Once a year, Danny Chang will travel from his home in the United States to Hebei, China, to choose the best individual acts they he can find to be part of a new touring season.
“We work together for two to three months and then bring a new show to the United States,” Angela Chang noted. “Each [of 23 performers] has their own acts, working with at least two, preferably three to four, different skills.”
Debuting this season is an act done by one of the new performers and, without giving too much away; it has do with the feet. And while there are comic acts, such as the hat juggling routine, the intense, white-knuckle feats that Jeremy Chang refers to includes the iconic “Tower of Chairs.”
“Every act has evolved over the years,” Chang continued. “But everywhere we go, the [venue] producers want the ‘Tower of Chairs’ to be there.”
The Golden Dragon Acrobats have traveled around the world to all 50 of the United States as well as 65 countries on five continents. They are internationally recognized as the premier Chinese acrobatic group.
