page 6 thursday, august 15, 2013 art culture the ... - tim · by tim keller correspondent the...

Page 6 Thursday, August 15, 2013 The Chronicle-News Trinidad, ColoradoART & CULTUREAcrobats will astonish crowds at the Shuler once again

By Tim KellerCorrespondent The Chronicle-News

RATON — The GoldenDragon Acrobats bringtheir astonishing showback to the Shuler TheaterThursday night after athree-year absence. Shulerimpresario Bill Feganhelped to create the groupin 1978, collaborating withDanny Chang, who stillproduces and directs thetouring production eachyear. The show’s Chineseacrobats have performed atthe Shuler about a dozentimes over the company’s35-year history.

Often seeming to defythe laws of physics, thetroupe of 25 young acrobatsputs on a jaw-dropping two-

hour show. The feats of bal-ance, contortion, juggling,speed and daring beg thequestion: How long didthey have to practice to per-fect that? The answerwould seem to be measuredin years, although the acro-bats are all young and lim-ber. They come from vari-ous parts of China, whererecords of this art form goback 4,000 years.

Angela Chang costumesthe performers and choreo-graphs their movements inprecise coordination toever-present music. Despitetheir youth, the acrobatsare seasoned professionalswho know how to thrill andentertain a crowd.

The last Shuler perform-ance, in August 2010,reached its zenith near the

end when a chest-highstand was placed betweenthe stage and the front rowof seats. A young mantopped the stand andaccepted a chair from ahelper. He set the chair onthe stand and climbed high-er, then did the same withanother chair. He contin-ued adding chairs underhimself until he stood atopthe stand and seven chairs,giving him direct eye con-tact with the people in thebalcony.

Way up there, he didhandstands and otherstunts. It seemed truly dan-gerous — not only for him-self but for the audiencemembers below. He neverfaltered. It was an exhila-rating end to an unforget-table show.

The acrobats havereturned to the Shuleroften enough that theyalready have a followinglocally. That explains thenearly full house last timeand the reason so manyparents brought their kidsof all ages — on a schoolnight at the beginning ofthe new school year: It is ashow not to be missed.

A benefit performancefor the Santa Fe TrailSchool for the PerformingArts, Thursday night’sshow begins at 7:00 p.m.General admission ticketsare $20 for adults, $5 for stu-dents and children.Information is available at the Shuler Theater,575-445-4746.

Photos by Tim Keller / The Chronicle-News

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Three women (top) from the Golden Dragon

Acrobats kept 12 soccer balls airborne at one

time — one for each arm and leg — when the

team last performed at the Shuler Theater. The

show stopper came near the end of the

performance when an acrobat (left) took seven

chairs in turn, climbing them as he stacked

them, until he was level with the proscenium

arch over the stage, seen here from the balcony.

Can you find all three women acrobats in the

photo at the right?