Six trampoline artists pushed the envelope of human limitations in a performance that defied gravity, yet consisted of down-to-earth dances and acrobatics. Theirs was just one of several electrifying acts staged before an audience of 5,000 at the China International Circus Festival in Hengqin on Nov 22, the final performance day before competitions begin.

The six-person aerial acrobatics team, containing some of the world’s best artists, has performed in more than 24 countries and earned countless awards.

Their tool of the trade, the trampoline from which the American and Canadian pros spiral, originated in the United States in the mid-19th century with spring jumping that has since matured into “aerial ballet.” The performers have worked together to make their La troupe Cat Wall the “Best Circus Act in the Past 40 Years.” It has been made into a TV program that has been broadcast worldwide. The troupe also appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, which is currently the top-rated talk show in the US. It aired twice in Germany attracting an audience of 7 million each time.

Marco Zoppi and Rolanda in Bubbles

The Russian highwire Teslenko Veronika’s Strap utilized both strength and skill. The solo female performer dreamt that she had become a circus acrobat with superb skills, capable of a 720-degree aerial body twist and in-situ body rotation of 10 turns. Gripping a leather strip either using her hand or wrapping it around her arm to suspend in mid-air, she performed a variety of highly difficult acts, such as ascending and descending and hanging upside down.

One of the most popular shows at the circus festival was One Among the Lions. Menagerie founder Goncharov Vladyslav from Ukraine led a pride of eight roaring African lions imported from Russia to take to the stage for the first time in Asia. During the show, he instructed the adult males to bow and salute with folded paws, climb over a bridge, and sit in a row. He even lifted a 250 km lion on his shoulders, winning rapturous applause. The show is renowned for its might in the circus world and also for demonstrating harmonious friendship between lions and humans. To Goncharov Vladyslav and his 12-year-old son, the lions are not only partners but also part of the family.

Goncharov Vladyslav and ‘family’

With performers wearing fluorescent tops while riding bikes with lit-up wheels, the Russian BMX Freestyle is more like a troupe of techie warriors attempting to dance their way past a series of “bladed” obstacles in a display of balance, power, and courage. The performers surpassed the limits of Newtonian physical laws and pumped up the crowd with their dazzling acrobatic maneuvers in time with a beat. 

BMX Freestyle [Photos by Li Jianshu / Zhuhai Daily]