Hunan Troupe

Dream Journey

 

“Dream Journey” uses Chinese acrobatics and dance as a medium to tell the story of a young prince who takes to sea on a quest to find the princess of his dreams, the Phoenix
Princess. He falls asleep on his ship and tumbles overboard, only to be rescued by the Princess, herself. She takes him to her kingdom where they encounter extraordinary
people, amazing creatures and dangerous evil spirits. This original production breaks from the traditional purely acrobatic performances, and instead illustrates a story with
characters and their emotions which integrate acrobatics, music and dance with scenes from various Chinese traditional ink paintings. Jiu-Jitsu, the precision Hat Juggling act, the
tragic ballet on the shoulders, the high energy trampoline poles and so much more, create a dynamic and imaginative performance far above the usual acrobatic program.
Audiences are enthralled with the skill, excitement and beauty of the production.

 

 “We hope that our production will not only entertain and excite our audiences but will also touch their hearts.” Zhao Shuangwu, head of the Hunan Acrobatic Troupe said. “The use of traditional acrobatics, to tell a complete story is an experiment that The Hunan Acrobatic Troupe has boldly tried for the first time in recent years. This original stage
production incorporates a variety of oriental elements, such as traditional theatrical characters and costumes as well as music representing the home province of Hunan. The haunting melody of the Liuyang River is interspersed as a variation which combines more Chinese traditional elements and international creative techniques.”

 

 In the environment where performances push the limits of the human body and the
audience’s artistic and aesthetic interests tend to be  versified, the Hunan Troupe strives to perfectly combine the elements of surprise, mystery, danger and beauty with ultimate acrobatic skills and techniques so give their audiences extreme pleasure and excitement. In order to do so, the Hunan Acrobatic Troupe has developed innovations in acrobatic techniques and the use of props and apparatuses, such as traditional plate spinning but while dancing on stilts the combining of pole climbing and trampoline skills.

 

In recent years, the Hunan Acrobatic Troupe has continuously introduced new productions, created and performed numerous acrobatic programs each with a
distinctive flavor of the times and with strong national characteristics. The troupe has had the honor of working with international counterparts. In 2012, the troupe performed with the Canadian Symphony Orchestra, which was the first time an acrobatic troupe and symphonic orchestra had performed on the same stage. The Hunan Acrobatic Troupe has performed in more than 50 countries, including Turkey, Canada, France,
South Korea, Australia, Italy, Portugal, the Caribbean and the United States, and is highly favored by international audiences.

 

In 2016, “Dream Journey” was preformed more than 100 times in 73 cities, in 25 states in the United States and in 2 provinces in Canada. The audiences totally more than 200,000 people, and set a record for an international tour of Chinese acrobats in recent years. “Dream Journey” has been especially honored to represent the country in participating in major international performances. It is considered to be a national artistic  ambassador of China. With the approval of the Chinese Ministry of Culture the Hunan Acrobatic Troupe’s superb production of the “Dream Journey” will be staged in the Branson Acrobat Theatre, formerly known as the RFD Theatre, beginning on June 29, 2018 at the invitation of the Incredible! Acrobats of China.