Daring Feats of Chinese Acrobats Awe Students

Back home, their nation mourned the death of longtime leader Deng Xiaoping.

But the troupe of 17 Chinese acrobats who performed for 1,500 Ventura students Monday morning sprang across the stage with vigor in gravity-defying feats.

The Chinese Golden Dragon Acrobats, who have been touring the U.S. since mid-January, demonstrated such strength, agility and grace that the children were in awe.

“That’s so scary,” one child blurted out. “Are they crazy?” asked anotherduring the 45-minute performance.

Acrobats twirled umbrellas and bowls with their feet. One balanced on the spokes of a bicycle wheel, while holding two other acrobats on her shoulders.

One high point of the show came when an acrobat stacked six chairs on top of each, then balanced himself atop the stack with one hand on a chair.

“It was so freaky with like the six chairs in a row,” said 7-year-old John Werich from Los Nogales Elementary School in Pleasant Valley. But classmate Carlos Magallon said he had utter confidence in the acrobat.

“I knew he was going to stay up there,” Carlos, 7, said.

To observe a period of mourning for Deng Xiaoping, the Chinese government ordered all its performers abroad to cancel their Monday acts.

But in Ventura, it was too late for the acrobatic troupe to cancel its 10 a.m. show, which drew students from more than 20 schools to Ventura High School.

So the show went on, with the acrobats rescheduling their noon performance for 10 a.m. Thursday.