Peking Acrobats to Wow Audience at Graceland University

Daring maneuvers atop a precarious pagoda of chairs… a kaleidoscope of magnificent movement… powerful precision tumbling, somersaulting, and gymnastics… extraordinary exhibitions of agility and grace…

All of this is just a part of the magnificent show offered by The Peking Acrobats, coming to Graceland University from the People’s Republic of China during their 29th North American tour.

For centuries, dating back to the Ch’in Dynasty (221 B.C. – 207 B.C.), Chinese acrobats have continued to perfect an evolving folk art form. The Peking Acrobats debuted in 1986, and the group takes part in the ideals of Peking Opera, which combines singing, dancing, acrobatics, martial arts, pantomime, highly stylized acting and more to recreate a fantastic illusion of the struggle of human life.

They incorporate daring feats and gravity-defying displays using contortion, flexibility, dexterity, agility and control. All this will be accompanied by traditional Chinese instruments for a modern flair and high-tech special effects.
For this tour, drum and percussion group Jigu! Thunder Drums of China will be joining the acrobats on stage.

The Peking Acrobats come to Graceland as part of the Graceland University Performing Arts Series. This fall the series brought us SpokFrevo Orquestra, and still to come in the 2014-15 series is Caladh Nua, a tightly-knit, vibrant and staggeringly talented group of musicians with their origins deeply rooted in the Southern counties of Ireland; as well as “To Kill a Mockingbird,” a play based on Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and staged by National Players. The 2015-16 Performing Arts Series groups are currently being finalized, and Graceland looks forward to bringing the utmost in quality entertainment and culture to the region.

There are still a limited number of tickets available for the Feb. 15, 2:30 p.m. performance of the Peking Acrobats at Graceland University are available online at graceland.edu/ShawTickets or in the Shaw Ticket Office in Shaw Center on the Graceland Lamoni campus.