In China, Chinese acrobats are held in the same esteem as movie stars are in this country. It takes years of training to achieve the excellence demanded by this ancient art form. Children who decide they want to dedicate their life to learn the skills needed to become an acrobat, some as young as four years old, will leave their home and spend up to five years in training and practice before they are allowed to perform on stage. Daily practice is part of the routine.
The Smoky Mountain Palace (formerly known as the Governor’s Palace) has assembled the finest group of acrobats that China has to offer to introduce the culture to the United States in their Legends Of China performance.
The Smoky Mountain Palace is a state of the art theater with a 1,700 plus seating capacity located in Sevierville/Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
The company behind this theater extravaganza was formed in Shanghai, China. The Shanghai production realized that many Americans didn’t understand Chinese culture, the history of the Chinese people and how they lived their lives and the respect the Chinese hold for tradition.
The theater production owners decided to do something to introduce the real China to the American people so the New Shanghai Circus troupe was formed.
In 1998, the New Shanghai Circus began to perform in Branson, Missouri under the production name the "Incredible Acrobats of China".
In 1999, the New Shanghai Circus realized the dream of all acrobatic troupes from China as the first Chinese acrobatic show to be invited to perform on Broadway in New York City. Their record-breaking 28 sold-out shows at the New Victory Theater won the "Best Foreign Production on Broadway" title that year.
A couple of years ago, Lizhi Zhao, owner of the group, visited the Pigeon Forge area and fell in love with it. He felt it was similar to Branson with its mountains, beauty and lifestyle.
This year, Mr. Zhao undertook an expansion of bringing Chinese culture to new American friends by embracing the Smoky Mountains with a new show called “The Legends of China.” It is a Chinese variety show of family oriented entertainment which features Chinese artistries such as Magic Folk Dance, Kung Fu, acrobats in death defying acts, the internationally known Thunder Drum Ensemble and a lady magician who is the gold metal winner from the 2004 International Magicians Competition.
The Shanxi Thunder Drums of China were featured in the Jet Li movie “Fearless.”
Shanxi Province has a population of over 36 million. From these 36 million, 11 girls were chosen for the Thunder Drums.
After the girls qualified, they went to school for one year before they were allowed to play with the Thunder Drums. They practiced eight hours a day.
The local performance features a cast of 44, with a support crew of 16. The performers are chosen from the best of other troupes and shows in China, some having performed in the Olympics and others are international award winning acrobatics. They are assembled and trained at the company’s theater in Shanghai. The best of that group are the performers at the Smoky Mountain Palace.
Information courtesy of Sevier County News