The UCA Public Appearances season will continue with Cirque Shanghai: Bai Xi on Oct. 5 at 7:30 p.m. in the Donald W. Reynolds Performance Hall on the University of Central Arkansas campus.
According to Jerry Biebesheimer, director of public appearances, the show will be a full-scale theatrical production featuring a 30-member cast.
The show has been described as “awesome displays of physical strength, incredible feats of balance, graceful folkloric pageantry, fast-paced contemporary dance and energetic martial arts all performed in spectacular costumes, on the stage and high in the air, with state-of-the-art computerized lighting and beautiful orchestrations in a grand theatrical production.”
The fusion of a centuries-old art form with modern “Cirque” technology presents Chinese acrobatics in a never-before-seen form.
The Chinese acrobats were first called “Bai Xi,” meaning “100 amazing acts,” in reference to the performers’ seemingly limitless skills and innumerable feats. Dating back to the Han Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago, these talents were featured in command performances for China’s imperial courts and have been passed down and enhanced through generations.
Performances have kept audiences on their feet all across the country. After the group’s recent stop in Chicago, the Chicago Tribune call the performance, “sophisticated and striking,” while the Chicago Sun-Times said, “Enough to fire up any family audience.”
Tickets, available at the UCA Ticket Central Box Office, are $30-$40 for adults, $27-$37 for senior citizens, $25-$35 for UCA alumni, $23-$33 for UCA faculty and staff, and free for UCA students with a current student I.D. For tickets, call (501) 450-3265 or toll free from anywhere in Arkansas at 1-866-810-0012 or visit www.uca.edu/tickets.
For more information, contact Biebesheimer at (501) 450-3682 or jerryb@uca.edu.