Tag Archives | Chairs

Watching the Amazing Chinese Acrobats

By on August 1, 2008 in Uncategorized

I was down at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk yesterday. Not to go on any rides but to watch the new show they’ve been having. The Amazing Chinese Acrobats.

I’ll never turn down an opportunity to watch talented individuals to their thing.

Before it all began the announcer was saying that many of these acrobats had trained since they were four years old. That it took athletic strength, impeccable balance, and flawless timing to do these stunts.

I fully agree with those statements. I’m going to try to head back to take some pictures and write up a few articles like I did for the Moscow Circus last year if I get the permission.

Just to give you an idea of what took place: a contortionist balancing glasses, a woman juggling a table with her feet, seven people on a single bicycle, pole climbing, hand balancing on the stacked chairs, and more.

Many of the classic Chinese acrobatic feats. Of course there were some new spins and I was impressed by their showmanship.

There were some kids nearby who exclamations made it seem like every move was an impossibility.

Don’t get me wrong, it was some amazing stuff. I couldn’t do a bunch of it and I was clapping right along with everyone else.

But here I was thinking I can do that one. I could get that with a little practice. To me nothing was impossible or magical. Just dedication and practice.

I don’t mean to come off as saying I’m on the level of these athletes. My point is that anyone can work up to some level of skill in feats similar to these.

And you don’t have to start at four years old, be five feet tall, or weigh less than 120 lbs.

Walking and Jumping On Your HandsWalking and Jumping On Your Hands on Amazon

If I can learn how to do a back flip just about anyone can.

Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher

P.S. If you’re in the area, check out the show which is running through August 21st. If you’re not you can see of the best Chinese Acrobatics in the world.

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Cirque du Soleil: Kooza

By on March 17, 2008 in Uncategorized

Went to Cirque du Soleil this past weekend. The shows title was Kooza.

As expected I was amazed. But I have to say it even exceeded my expectations.

The show is touring through the eastern States now. If it’s coming nearby to you, Go and See It. But the same can be said for any Cirque du Soleil performance.

Unfortunately, no pictures are allowed otherwise I would love to share with you a few of the amazing feats performed.

From the synchronized contortionists to people on stilts being launched in a double back flip. From jumping over people on high wires to the best juggler I’ve ever seen. My favorite was the Wheel of Death. Every single thing was astounding.

Not to mention the funniest clowns ever. I’m not usually a big fan of the clowns but these guys were good.

One great thing was the answer to a question I had posed just a few weeks ago was shown in full force.

I’m talking about the Chinese acrobats hand balancing on chairs.

The hand balancer stacked one chair on top of the other. When he got high up, assistants would hand him chairs by using long poles.

Mind you these are not your average chairs but very sturdy things. They’ve got to be because he went up over 10 chairs high.

By standing on each chair he would place the next on top and press up to get into position. Every couple of chairs he would do a new feat.

A head balance on one. A handstand on another.

To top it off the last chair was not laid flat but tilted to be at a diagonal angle. On top of this the acrobat performed a one arm half-planche or elbow lever.

You could see the chairs wobble and shake.

After he was done they took the chairs done one by one and the act was over.

One thing I realized at this show is that you tend to have great respect for the people practicing the things you know. I could see the contortionists using their hands to balance. I understand how they do what they do (not so much their ungodly flexibility).

Same with some of the acrobatics.

The True Art and Science of Hand Balancing
The True Art and Science of Hand Balancing on Amazon

But unicycling or balancing on the tight wire I have no experience with. Not to say I didn’t respect these people, because I did.

But when you know how hard it is to do something it makes you appreciate it more.

Not a lot of people understand the patience and effort over the long haul it takes to accomplish this kind of thing. But you do.

Are you looking for a quick fix or are your prepared to go the distance? The time is going to pass either way so why not become a master at a few things.

Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher

P.S. For less than the cost of a ticket, you can get your hands on The True Art and Science of Hand Balancing, to see a bunch of similar feats and learn how to do them.

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Chinese Acrobats do Handstands on Chairs

By on February 14, 2008 in Uncategorized

Walking and Jumping On Your HandsWalking and Jumping On Your Hands on Amazon

Chinese Acrobats Handstand on Chairs

Whoa!

This is just a sneak peak of what they best acrobats from China can do and one of many hand balancing tricks involving chairs shown in The Art of Chinese Acrobatics.

That’s 16 people doing handstands on top of more than a dozen chairs and some other apparatus.

My biggest question is how do you get into that? I’ve seen some crazy pyramid formations but this takes the cake. In this case it might actually be harder to get into position than hold it!

Now you may not be able to pull of this stunt, but there’s no reason you can’t use a chair to increase your handstand skills.

Try to press up into a handstand from a normal sitting position. Not a novice move but by no means a very difficult one either. It’s sure to amaze any onlookers though.

Good Luck and Good Hand Balancing,
Logan Christopher

P.S. You can see a picture of Bob Jones doing a hand balance on a chair on page 121 of The True Art and Science of Hand Balancing. Except in this case it’s a rocking chair adding even more difficulty to the balancing. As you can see the sky is the limit in what you can accomplish.

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