Acrobats of China is an extravaganza of unique spectacular entertainment in Branson MO

June 23rd, 2010 by Gary J. Groman

Last year after this writer saw the “Acrobats of China” he wrote, “Even in the ‘Live music show capital of the world’ there are some shows that are so unique, both in terms of their type and in the manner in which they are presented, that they in fact define a genre of show and the standard of excellence for that genre.” He continued, “The ‘Acrobats of China,’ presented by The New Shanghai Circus, is such a show. Currently there is nothing in Branson that remotely resembles the type of show and the near perfection of its cast as they perform exciting, colorful, and action filled feats providing their audiences with an incredible one of a kind entertainment experience.”

After seeing the 2010 edition of this show on June 19 all this writer can add is, “The show is even better than it was last year.” The elegance, skill, grace and precision and of the performers in each act is simply amazing. Couple that with excellent production, absolutely elegant costuming, and the choreographed and flawless presentation as each act seamlessly transitions into the next and the result is a one of a kind Branson experience that will appeal to adults and the vast majority of children equally.

This writers wife who had not seen the show was amazed, but then, so was her husband and he saw the show just last year. It’s almost like someone said, “Let’s pull out all the stops this year” and they did. Paul Miller, General Manager of the Branson Tourism Center said, “Our customer surveys of the Acrobats of China, as well as the comments of the Branson Tourism Center staff who have seen the show, indicate that it is an exceptional show.”

This writer has personally never seen a Branson show that wasn’t suitable for children to see, but he has seen a number of them, where, for most children, the two hours spent at the show would be the longest two hours of their lives simply because there was very little built into the show to hold their interest. The neat thing about the Acrobats of China is that from beginning to end, the same thing that makes it a great entertainment experience for adults makes it a great show for children.

At the performance this review was based on there was a large number of children. One very large group was sitting about five rows in front of us. The looks of amazement on their faces and their excitement as they walked up the aisle at intermission was a joy to see.

In a show where just about every act would be a highlight in another show it was difficult to narrow it down to three highlights. Realizing the subjectivity of his choices, this writer’s highlight acts were the Aerial Ballet, the Group Chair Stacking and the Diabolos.

The aerial ballet almost defies description as the “ballerina” performs an elegant ballet while balancing on one hand on top of a pole on top of a table. The whole act is not only an amazing feat of strength and skill, but was elegant in its total presentation with the costuming and supporting dancers. It’s one of those “wow” things that demonstrates the overall quality of the entire show.

The Diabolo is a Chinese yoyo. It seems like it would be hard enough to keep one of them moving on the string, but when you have a troupe of dancers working them as they dance and perform, throwing them back and forth and doing other amazing things with them it is an incredible thing to see.

The typical chair stacking act with one performer stacking chair and performing at the top of the stack is an exceptional thing to see. When you have a stack of eight chairs on top of table reaching into the heights above the stage and six young ladies performing synchronized acrobatic movements on the chairs it becomes exponentially more exciting and an absolutely incredible thing to witness.

If there is a show in Branson, Missouri with more color, pageantry, action, precision, skill, costuming, grace, beauty and elegance throughout its entirety, this writer hasn’t seen it. He had the sense that each performer, whether performing solo or as part of a group, was dedicated to performing flawlessly for themselves, their performing family and the audience. The result is a show that provides a unique Branson experience without equal and, with this cast this year, maybe anywhere.

Gary Groman writes for Branson Tourism Center in Branson MO
For additional information or tickets for the Acrobats of China or any of Branson’s other shows, attractions and activities or for lodging arrangements please contact the Branson Tourism Center one of Branson’s largest and most respected vacation planning services.