The Peking Acrobats Return To The Granada Theatre

The Granada Theatre swings into the new year with the return of the internationally-acclaimed Peking Acrobats, on January 22nd, 2020 at 7:30 pm.

For the last thirty-two years, The Peking Acrobats have redefined audience perceptions of Chinese acrobatics. They push the limits of human ability, defying gravity with amazing displays of contortion, flexibility, and control. The Peking Acrobats are accompanied by live musicians who skillfully play traditional Chinese instruments; the time-honored Chinese music coalesces with high-tech special effects and awe-inspiring acrobatic feats, creating an exuberant entertainment event with the festive pageantry of a Chinese Carnival.

Since their founding in 1986, The Peking Acrobats have been featured on numerous television shows and celebrity-studded TV specials. These include Nickelodeon's Unfabulous, Ellen's Really Big Show (hosted by Ellen Degeneres), The Wayne Brady Show, That's Incredible, ABC's Wide World of Sports, and NBC's Ring In The New Year Holiday Special. They have also appeared on HDNet TV's In Focus series, and have appeared regularly in 3D on NBC/Comcast's new 3D Channel. The Peking Acrobats set the world record for the Human Chair Stack on FOX Network's Guinness Book Primetime television show in 1999: they balanced six people precariously atop six chairs twenty-one feet up in the air without safety lines, astounding audiences with their bravery and dexterity. The Peking Acrobats have also made their way onto the silver screen - company members were featured in Steven Soderbergh's hit film Ocean's Eleven playing alongside Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, and George Clooney. The Peking Acrobats' alumnus Shaobo Qin also appeared in that film's two sequels, Ocean's Twelve and Ocean's Thirteen.

The Peking Acrobats achieved another milestone in the fall of 2003 when they made their orchestral debut at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, CA. They performed as part of the Hollywood Bowl's Fireworks Season Finale, where the company blended their unique brand of acrobatics with the majestic sound of the 100-piece Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, conducted by John Mauceri. Since their Hollywood Bowl debut, The Peking Acrobats have performed with many of the most prestigious Symphony Orchestras in North America today. These include the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra; the Ravinia Festival Orchestra, featuring members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; the San Diego Symphony Orchestra; the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra; the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. The Peking Acrobats return often to the Hollywood Bowl, where they perform with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra as Special Guest Artists.

The Peking Acrobats are part of a time-honored Chinese tradition, rooted in centuries of Chinese history and folk art. Tradition demands that each generation of acrobats add its own improvements and embellishments; because of this, high honor is conferred upon those skilled enough to become acrobats. The Peking Acrobats seek to uphold this rich and ancient folk art tradition, bringing it to new technical heights while integrating twenty-first-century technology. In the words of Clive Davis of The New York Post, "The Peking Acrobats [are] pushing the envelope of human possibility," combining agility and grace in remarkable feats of "pure artistry."
Tickets range in price from $26 to $66, and are available online at granadasb.org or by calling the box office at (805) 899-2222. This performance is presented by The Granada Theatre Concert Series.

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