National Acrobats of Taiwan Mix Tradition and Showbiz at Eisenhower
February 22, 2005
National Acrobats of Taiwan combines traditional Chinese acrobatic artistry with American-style showbiz savvy to produce astounding and amusing results at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 17, in Eisenhower Auditorium on the Penn State University Park campus.
Tickets for the Center for the Performing Arts presentation are on sale now at $27 for an adult; $15 for a University Park student; and $19 for a person 18 and younger. For tickets and information, log on to www.cpa.psu.edu or phone 863-0255. Outside the local calling area, dial 1-800-ARTS-TIX. Tickets are also available at Eisenhower Auditorium, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays; Penn State Tickets Downtown in the lobby of State College's Penn State Downtown Theatre Center, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday; HUB-Robeson Center Information Desk, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays; and Bryce Jordan Center, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
National Acrobats of Taiwan, a company of 40 performers, tours the world as the Republic of China's national acrobatic troupe. Decked out in flamboyant costumes and underscored by the pounding rhythms of synthesized music, these masters of balance and movement continually accomplish the seemingly impossible.
"The display was both amazing and nerve-racking," wrote a reviewer for the Dallas Morning News. "It mixed drama, magic, ballet and acrobatics, sometimes rising beyond the amazing to the beautiful."
The performers take ordinary objects such as chairs, tables, poles, ladders, bowls, plates, bottles and jars and incorporate them into a dozen amazing routines. Founded in 1980, the company features graduates from the Republic of China's National Fu Hsing Dramatic Arts Academy, plus performers from the China Folk Art Training Center and the Li Tang-Hwa Acrobatic Troupe.
Artistic Director Lo Jih-Hung (also known by his Western name, Dante Law) has headed the troupe since 1998. Famous throughout East Asia as a magician and comedian, Lo joined the staff of the Fu Hsing academy as a performer and director in 1991.
The acrobats completed a three-month coast-to-coast tour of the United States and Canada in 1998. The company returned to North America in 2002 for a 70-city tour that included performances in major cities such as Boston, New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. The troupe has also toured across Europe and Southeast Asia.
McQuaide Blasko Attorneys at Law sponsors the performance. WTAJ-TV10 is the media partner. Radio station Beaver 103 and the Centre Daily Times are the media sponsors. Artistic Viewpoints, sponsored by the Center for the Performing Arts Community Advisory Council, provides insight from an artist or expert perspective and is offered free to interested ticket holders in the Eisenhower Auditorium Conference Room one hour before the performance. Free audio description, which is especially helpful to patrons with sight loss, is available at no charge to ticket holders.
Contact: Laura Sullivan (814) 863-6379