Wuqiao in Hebei province is known as the birthplace of the circus and acrobatics in China. In honor of this title, the town has a festival named for it. Over nearly a quarter of a century that event has help push the art of acrobatics and circus performances to new heights. Let’s take a look at the 12th Wuqiao Acrobatics Festival.

    In Wuqiao this year, the show is being stolen by furry, four-footed, and sometimes ferocious performers. Accomplished animal tamers from home and abroad mount breathtaking spectacles, coaxing and compelling their savage co-stars into jumping through burning hoops and walking along balance beams.

    The Wuqiao Acrobatics Festival began earlier this month at the Hebei Art Center in Shijiazhuang. The festival which is held every two years and for nine-days seeks to set itself apart from other circus and acrobatic shows and always push beyond its own limitations.

    More than two hundred acrobats from around the world are performing dynamic and seemingly impossible moves in over thirty acts for the competition. The three best acts will be honored with the Golden Lion Awards at the closing ceremony.

    The Wuqiao festival also features a series of exhibitions, seminars, and lectures dedicated to the circus. And two outdoor marquees have been set up outside the theater to entertain local residents from dawn to dusk.

Acrobatics is one of the performing arts, and is also practiced as a sport. Acrobatics involves difficult feats of balance, agility and coordination. Nearly any performance or sport which involves full-body activity—especially in short, highly controlled bursts of activity—can be considered acrobatics. Typical examples are, first and foremost, all the subdivisions of gymnastics and trapeze work, but specialized activities like ballet and diving could also be included. In a narrow sense, the term “acrobatics” refers to “acrobatic gymnastics,” a specialized subdivision of gymnastics.

Western Acrobatic history

AThe court displays of the European Middle Ages would often involve acrobatic performances along with song, juggling and other activities.

Though initially the term applied to tight-rope walking, in the 19th century, a form of performance art, including circus acts began to use the term as well. In the late 19th century, tumbling and other acrobatic/gymnastic activities became a competitive sport in Europe.