The New Chinese Acrobats

October 8th, 2018, 10 – 11am All Grades

This study guide will give you background information, discussion questions, andactivity ideas to do with your class before and after the performance at the PAEC.

Performance Information:The performance is made up of several pieces, each with itsown acrobatic skills, costumes, music, and mood. You may see gymnastics, contortion stunts, dance, tricks withjump ropes, fans, hats, plates, hoops, bicycles, or Chinese yo-yos,  and more. Usually several acrobats perform at a time and they do not talk. The acrobats are athletes who must stay in shape and workvery hard on their training.

Ask: What kinds of

stunts, tricks, oracts can you do?

“The  New  Chinese  Acrobats  represent  the  next  step  in  the  evolution  of  acrobatic  companies from  the  East.  Mixing  new  techniques  and  acts  with  ancient  traditions,  The  New  Chinese Acrobats  present  the  opportunity  to  view  the  best  of  China’s  ancient  folk  art,  mixed with        the  style  and  virtuosity of today’s  generation.”

From the Company:

Vocabulary: Props are all the objects or pieces offurniture that are used in a performance.The New Chinese Acrobats use manytraditional and modern props. The acrobats must have perfect balance –they must always remain steady and notfall. Timing is the skill or action of judging theright moment in a situation or activity atwhich to do something. The acrobats movein time with the accompanying music andother performers.

An acrobat is an entertainer who performsdifficult physical acts such as jumping andbalancing, especially in a circus. A troupe is a group of actors, singers, ordancers who work together and often travelaround together, performing in differentplaces.Contortions are movements of your bodyor face into unusual shapes or positions.Some of the New Chinese Acrobats arecontortionists. 

Father's Chinese Opera, by Rich Lo Chinese Opera: Images and Stories, by Wang-Ngai Siu Chinese Art & Culture, by Clare Hibbert Chinese Culture, by Mary Colson D Is for Doufu: An Alphabet Book of Chinese Culture,by Maywan Shen Krach China, by Emily Rose Oachs Cultural Traditions in China, by Lynn Peppas People and Cities: China – Land, Life, and Culture, byJohn Tidey

Recommended Reading:

Remember:

Did You Know? Acrobatics

are often an important

part of Chinese opera.

Watching live theater isn't like going to a movie because the performers can hear you. Please don'tdistract them, but do clap when you see something you like. Help the acrobats make a great show!

These materials are only for educators' non-commercial use.

Activity Ideas:Preview videos of Chinese acrobats online withyour students. Note things to look for in theupcoming show and chart the questions yourstudents ask. After the performance see whatquestions they can answer or investigate.  Have students investigate the history anddifferent styles of Chinese acrobatics (alsoknown as variety art). Compare and contrastChinese acrobatic shows and American circuses. After the performance, have students respond.Discuss  the skills, the expression, the costumes,the sets, how and what meaning was conveyed,and what connections to other arts, stories, ortheir own lives the students can make.  Have students write reviews of the show. Havethem include what they liked, what they did notlike, what parts they remember the best, whatthey think of the performers, and illustrations.

What kind of tricks do the acrobats do? Have you seen any like this before? How do the performers work together? Which parts do you like the best? Which look like the most fun? The most difficult? How do you feel when the acrobats perform? Look for...

During the Performance:

    -stunts and tricks     -dance moves     -props     -lighting effects     -costumes     -expression

Listen for..     -music     -rhythm     -gasps and cheers from the audience

Investigate China, its history,  and culturalcharacteristics.  Play Chinese music and have the students freedance. Can they incorporate any techniques orstyles they saw in the show? What mood,meaning, or expression are they trying toconvey? The acrobats must also stay in rhythm and flowfrom one move to the next. Explore poetry withrhythm and flow. Have your students write theirown to reflect their experience of the NewChinese Acrobats.  Students can represent movement with mathand math with movement because bothsubjects use number concepts, sequence,groupings, and patterns. Have students in smallgroups or pairs create dance sequences inspiredby the acrobats to show math problem-solving. 

Dance/Theater Anchor Standards, Responding 7: Perceiveand analyze artistic work; 8: Interpret intent and meaningin artistic work; 9: Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.Dance/Theater Anchor Standards, Connecting 10:Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiencesto make art; 11: Relate artistic ideas and works withsocietal, cultural, and historical context to deepenunderstanding.Physical Education Standard 3: Students will demonstratethe knowledge and skills to achieve and maintain a health-enhancing level of physical activity and fitness. 5: Studentswill recognize the value of physical activity for health,enjoyment, challenge, self-expression, and socialinteraction.Social Studies EALR 3: Geography Component 3.1:Understands the physical characteristics, culturalcharacteristics, and location of places, regions, and spatialpatterns on the Earth’s surface.

Aligned Standards:

The acrobats must perform their techniques insequence. What would happen if they did them out ofsequence? What happens if you tell a story out ofsequence?  The acrobats bring part of the culture of China to theworld. What could your culture show the world? What were the different kinds of acts you saw? Whichones did you like? Which seemed the hardest to learn?Which do you wish you could learn? How did the performers move in sequence and rhythm? How did the performers balance alone and together? What props did the acrobats use? What did you notice about the music? How did props, costumes, music, and lightingcontribute to the overall effect? What would you like to tell the PAEC about yourexperience at the show?  (We'd love to hear from you!)

Please see www.fwpaec.org for ourfield trip guide and more resources!

Discussion Questions:

Fun Fact: Chinese variety shows

have been around since at least 200

BCE! It wasn’t until the 1990s that

Chinese acrobatic troupes started

touring the world.