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Chinese acrobats swoop into area this weekend

The performers, ages 19-25, will launch Miami University’s 2009-10 Artist & Lecture Series.

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By Eric Robinette, Staff Writer 10:37 AM Friday, November 6, 2009

Most of us don’t like to jump through hoops, but a group of Chinese Acrobats hope to entertain a Miami University audience by doing that and more.

The Acrobats of Hebei China will kick off Miami University Middletown’s Artist & Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7. Thirteen acrobats, ranging in age from 19 to 25, will swoop around poles, balance plates, and, of course, jump through hoops.

Some people are born performers, and in these acrobats’ case, that’s not far from the truth. Margin Canavan, a show producer, explained.

“All of these guys have been trained since they were 5 or 6. In China, people who have tremendous talent are pulled out and they say ‘You go into this,’ ” Canavan said. “They rehearse every day and they’re always trying to learn new tricks.”

Although the participants are from China, the group is based in the United States. Hou Chunyan, artistic director of the Hebei group, left China to join Cirque du Soleil, performing in their Las Vegas shows. Some of his credits include the Cirque du Soleil production of “Mystere” at the Mirage Resort in Las Vegas, the United Nations Peace Summit, the premiere of Disney’s animated movie “Mulan” and several shows at the Venetian and Circus Circus in Las Vegas.

“We do a lot of group acts. We really have to know each other,” Chunyan said. “When we close our eyes, we know.”

His favorite act is his solo spot in which he not only gets on top of six-stacked chairs, but performs handstands while he’s up there.

“I really enjoy it. This is what I’ve been doing since I was 6 years old,” he said.

“For all of the performances in the artist and lecture series, we’ve tried to bring the quality up a notch,” said Miami Middletown Marketing Director Michael Williams.

“We thought that the Chinese Acrobats of Hebei would get everyone’s attention and set the tone for the rest of the season. The research that we did indicated that they’re highly regarded in the business and have a strong reputation for putting on an unforgettable show.”

Tickets for this performance are $35 for adults, $25 for senior citizens and Miami faculty/staff and $15 for students/youths. Tickets are available online at www.tickets.muohio.edu or by calling (513) 727-3383.

Tickets may be purchased in person at the Shriver Center box office in Oxford or from the cashier’s office in Johnston Hall at Miami Middletown.

The 2009-10 Miami Middletown Artist & Lecture Series will continue with bluegrass legend J.D. Crowe on Nov. 21, Playhouse in the Park’s “Cyrano” on Feb. 5, comedian Norm McDonald on March 27 and country star Marty Stuart on May 8.