Sichuan online reporter Xing Xiaoyi
On October 30, Zigong Acrobatic Troupe Performing Arts Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Zigong Acrobatic Troupe”) will cooperate with Camelia Lantern Culture and Art Co., Ltd. to send more than 10 Zigong acrobats to Washington, Atlanta and other places , started a 6-month US tour with more than 100 shows, using acrobatic language to tell the story of Zigong and China.
It is reported that as early as September this year, the Zigong Acrobatic Troupe “borrowed lights and went overseas” to Montgomery, the United States, for a 70-day performance. It has performed more than 50 times so far. The programs selected by the Zigong Acrobatic Troupe, “Kung Fu Panda·Swinging Bowl”, “Happy Kitchen·Skills”, “Blue and White Rhythm·Dingtan” and “Sichuan Opera Face Changing” won the award for their superb skills, unique creativity and rich Chinese cultural characteristics. It won unanimous praise from the inviters and local audiences.
In recent years, the Zigong Acrobatic Troupe has organically combined the characteristics of acrobatics with the advantages of lantern outreach. Through the platform of the National Cultural Export Base, it has worked hard to promote the “going out” of acrobatics and play a good role in acrobatic performances. “We have successfully used the ‘Lantern Festival + Acrobatics’ model to transform from a single performance to a road of common development and win-win cooperation, and achieved good social and economic benefits.” said Li Yi, chairman of the company. .
Looking back to 1987, the Zigong Acrobatic Troupe went abroad for the first time and appeared on the Mexican stage. In 2004, the acrobatic troupe made its debut on the European stage, performing for more than 50 days in three German cities: Berlin, Zwickau, and Jena. In 2023, the acrobatic children’s drama “Amazing Night at the Dinosaur Hall” was invited to tour Brazil, touring 25 cities. In February this year, starring Luo Haibin went to Milan, Italy with the acrobatic “Benchtop – Chinese Dragon”, where he lifted 36 benches weighing 80 kilograms and stayed on the head for 81 seconds, successfully setting a new Guinness World Record. In March, “Top Bench – Chinese Dragon” entered Russia again and participated in the filming and recording of the seventh season of the international television joint project “The Great Ones”.
Singapore, Japan, the United States, Greece, Finland, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia… For more than 30 years, Zigong Acrobatics has continued to make strides and frequently appeared on major international stages, using acrobatics as a medium to tell Chinese stories to the world. Especially in recent years, Zigong Acrobatics has continued to explore new paths, “going out” with greater steps, and actively showing the charm and style of Chinese acrobatics to the world.
“After 2023, we seized the opportunity and took the initiative. Not only did we become the first acrobatic troupe in the province to start overseas performances after the COVID-19 epidemic, we also relied on the original acrobatic children’s drama “Wonderful Night at the Dinosaur Hall” to realize the transition from outputting a single program to The entire repertoire has changed, and the scale of the ‘Going Overseas’ performance has jumped.” Li Yi introduced that in October 2023, the repertoire was selected by the Industry Development Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the China Performance Industry Association to have both Chinese cultural characteristics and international performance. “30 quality plays across the country” that express artistic expression and are suitable for dissemination in overseas performance markets.
Since the beginning of this year, the Zigong Acrobatic Troupe has performed nearly 100 performances in Hawaii, New York and other places. “Zigong acrobatics (top acrobatics), as a municipal intangible cultural heritage, is an ancient and dynamic skill. Today’s audiences are no longer satisfied with a single display of skills, but pay more attention to the artistry and ideological connotation of the works. We need to continue to Close to the masses, innovative themes, and bold arrangements,” Li Yi said. For example, “Acrobatic Bench + Rural Revitalization + Intangible Cultural Heritage Talents” is the theme of “Acrobatic Bench”, which integrates traditional acrobatic bench into Sichuan’s farming civilization and culture. The construction of new countryside, through the acrobatic carrier, vividly interprets the people’s best wishes for rural revitalization and the Chinese dragon’s take-off.
Today, the Zigong Acrobatic Troupe is making positive contributions to spreading Chinese traditional culture in a unique way, playing an important role in promoting cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries, enhancing cultural confidence, and displaying the charm of Sichuan culture. According to statistics, since 2014, Zigong Acrobatics has won four international competition awards, five national-level professional competition awards, and the Bashu Literature and Art Award. Sexual Diplomacy Visit Mission. In June this year, the Propaganda Department of the Sichuan Provincial Party Committee announced the list of “Selected Works for Major Literary and Art Support Projects and Premium Award Works in Sichuan Province in 2023”.
(Photo provided by Zigong Acrobatic Troupe)