FOR THE KIDS : Chinese Acrobats Serve Up Mind-Boggling Stunts : Golden Dragon troupe is coming to town. Some of its feats have been performed for centuries.

The circus, Oriental style, is coming to town. If you thrill to the sight of people diving blindfolded through rings of fire and dodging knives, then don’t miss the Chinese Golden Dragon Acrobats and Magicians.

This troupe of tumblers, dancers, and jugglers will perform at 3 p.m. Sunday at Ventura High School. Advance tickets are $12 for children 2 to 16 years old and $15 for adults, $1 more at the door.

The two-hour show is a benefit to help fund arts programs in county schools. Sponsors are the Ventura County superintendent of schools office, the Ventura Unified School District, the city of Ventura, and Radio AAHS, the kids radio station.

Promoters of the Chinese Golden Dragon Acrobats and Magicians bill the show as a circus without the animal smells--so don’t expect any wild animal acts. Do expect some amazing stunts requiring strength, balance and coordination, along with dancing and some Chinese-style comic relief.

In one mind-boggling stunt, a performer sets a chair on four champagne bottles atop a small table that is sitting on a larger table. Then he stacks seven chairs on top of each other and, perched at the top, he finishes off the feat with a one-handed handstand.

And then there is the one where the acrobats climb, one by one, onto a bicycle until they are stacked 10 high. And the one where a female performer balances herself on another woman’s head--first standing, then doing a handstand, and then a headstand.

The troupe numbers 14 to 18 brightly costumed acrobats, dancers and magicians, all from Taiwan. In Chinese, the term acrobat carries a much deeper meaning than it does in English. The skills and some of the feats performed by the troupe have existed since 200 BC, according to promoters, and are an important part of Chinese culture and art. The performers draw from a special Oriental philosophy where the body and mind work in harmony.

The producer and director of the show, Danny Chang, began his acrobatic training at the age of 8, and by his 10th birthday he was performing with his family’s troupe. His father, grandfather and other relatives as far back as can be traced have been acrobats.

Now on tour in the United States, the Chinese Golden Dragon Acrobats and Magicians have appeared on “The Joan Rivers Show,” “That’s Incredible” and ABC’s “Wide World of Sports.”

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Known for its high-energy rock ‘n’ roll music, Craig & Company cranks it up Friday at the Westlake High School Theatre, 100 Lakeview Canyon Road, Westlake Village. Show times are 5 and 7 p.m.

The concert, headlined by Disney recording star Craig Taubman, is part of the Conejo Valley Children’s Concert Series, sponsored by Conejo Valley Adult School and Radio AAHS. It’s billed as a family concert with some jazz, rock and Latin tunes. Taubman is backed by a four-piece band.

Tickets are $5 in advance, or $6 at the door. Tickets are available at New Horizons in the Ralphs/Sav-On Plaza on Moorpark Road in Thousand Oaks, or at the Conejo Valley Adult School, 1025 Old Farm Road, Thousand Oaks. For information, call 497-2761.

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Don’t be surprised if you see a Boy Scout at your door Saturday. Scouts throughout the county will don their uniforms and collect canned food for needy families from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Scouts’ goal is to collect 50,000 cans--4,000 more than last year’s drive. (They want only commercially canned food and dry goods--no home-canned items.)

Each Scouting district will distribute the items to a food bank in its area. Among the organizations benefiting from the drive are Project Understanding in Ventura, HELP in Ojai, Community Assistance of Santa Paula, Fillmore Senior Center, St. Mary Magdalene Christian Service in Camarillo, Manna Food Bank in Thousand Oaks, Care and Share in Simi Valley and Moorpark Food Pantry.

For information, call 482-8938.

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Girl Scouts throughout the county have been busy, too, taking orders for cookies. The door-to-door orders end Friday, but the girls will be selling cookies in shopping malls and elsewhere Feb. 25 through March 19.

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Gull Wings Children’s Museum in Oxnard has a new creepy-crawly exhibit. The museum’s resident tarantula, “Mommy Rosehair,” has given birth to about 200 little ones. This is not a touchable exhibit, nor is it permanent. According to museum director Gig Wishon, the babies must be separated shortly or they will start nibbling on each other. The museum is at 418 W. 4th St. For information, call 483-3005.

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Brandeis-Bardin Institute is holding a family storytelling festival Sunday on its Simi Valley grounds at 1101 Peppertree Lane. The Jewish education institute will feature Jewish stories and legends. The grounds open at 11:30 a.m. for picnicking. Israeli folk dancing and sports events begin at 12:45 p.m., and storytelling follows at 1:45 p.m.

The cost is $6 for adults, $3 for children 4-12 years, and no charge for those under 4. For information and reservations, call 582-4450.

Details

* WHAT: Chinese Golden Dragon Acrobats and Magicians.

* WHERE: Ventura High School, 2155 E. Main St., Ventura.

* WHEN: 3 p.m. Sunday

* COST: Advance tickets $15 for adults, $12 for children 2 to 16 years ($1 more at the door).

* ETC: Tickets are available at all Ventura elementary schools, Kideos in Ventura, or can be charged by phone by calling 650-5900. Special “I Support the Arts in Schools” tickets are available for $25 and guarantee seating in the first 10 rows. For information, call 648-4767.