Chinese acrobatics explore paths for development

Jaw-dropping performances recently took place at the Wuqiao International Circus Festival, which closed at the weekend. Although China shared the event's top prize, the Golden Lion Award, with Russia and the DPRK, analysts believe the event exposed various shortcomings in Chinese acrobatics.

The Yunnan acrobatics troupe won the Golden Lion award for China. But through an exchange of ideas with troupes from abroad, a lot of the weakness of Chinese acrobatics were also exposed.

"Our work lacks elegance and artistic expression. We are falling behind in this area and the sooner we admit it the sooner we can start improving," said Bian Faji, chairman of China Acrobats Association.

Acrobatics originated in China around 3,600 years ago. But in recent years acrobatics have become more about technical prowess than aesthetics and cultural expression. This has led to a decline in innovation.

"From very early on acrobats are spoon-fed very fixed routines - it's all about winning the top prize. If you don't win, then your sense of self-worth is cast into oblivion," said Li Xining of China Acrobats Association.

"We need to make our acrobats love what they do to make them artists rather than just performers."

Another issue raised by analysts is the lack of professional marketing and promotion of Chinese acrobatic shows. China is aiming to form teams of professionals to support acrobatic troupes, but the troupes themselves also need to be more money-savvy.

"Sometimes we have spectacular shows but they involve expensive props. People see it and say it's great, but no-one is willing to work with us because of the possible cost," Li said.

But being too money-minded can also lead to pragmatism and lack of creativity, which is exactly what people are trying to avoid. So it seems the future development of Chinese acrobatic has to be carried out with a delicate balance.