Chinese Acrobats dazzle Showboat cruisers

During the lovely, leisurely and always popular Midday Cruises on Nashville's own Showboat this spring and summer, the fish aren't the only ones jumpin'. The Amazing Peking Acrobats are spellbinding audiences on their return engagement on the General Jackson, from now through November.

The elite troupe of athletes, masters of the ancient folk art and discipline of acrobatics, perform as a second course to lunch on the Showboat, tumbling and spinning and balancing in their brightly colored costumes, accompanied by exotic music. The acrobats unveil ancient Chinese secrets of agility and grace in astonishing feats of dexterity made all the more wonderful by being done on a moving showboat in all kinds of weather.

"It's all about making sure we deliver memorable experiences that our guests will always cherish," says Dennis Schnurbusch, general manager of the General Jackson. "The Peking Acrobats offer unique, family-friendly entertainment."

Executive Chef Christopher Brown, the new Director of Food and Beverage for the General Jackson, has some magic up his own sleeve. The first half of the show is a fresh, exotic lunch served in "bottomless" bowls of Shanghai Salad, Yank Sing Lemon Chicken, Odon Noodles in Miso Broth, and other Oriental delights cooked up by Brown and his staff.

"I am so excited to be able to bring my many years of culinary experience to this Nashville icon," Brown says. "Our menus will be created based on feedback from guests...the culinary experience will be, like watching the Peking Acrobats, a delicious adventure."

The General Jackson Showboat, at 300 feet long and three stories tall, is the largest of its kind in the world. After 23 years, it continues to offer one-of-a-kind entertainment spectacles to tourists and locals alike.

The ability to perform the spectacular and astounding is rooted in centuries of Chinese history and folk art. The popularity of acrobatic acts reaches as far back as the Ch'in Dynasty (221-207 B.C.). According to Fu Qifeng, author of Chinese Acrobatics Through the Ages, acrobatics grew out of people's daily lives, inspired by their experiences of work, war and sacrificial rites. It was believed that practicing acrobatics could steel the will and increase physical strength and accuracy of movement.

During the Han Dynasty (207-220 A.D.), acrobatics flourished, and the wide variety of juggling, tumbling and magic acts came to be known as the "Hundred Entertainments." It was at this time, according to Qifeng, that Emperor Wu Di presented the first grand acrobatic performance at the Imperial Court. He invited a number of important foreign dignitaries, and the occasion was the first in Chinese history at which acrobatic art was presented for diplomatic purposes. The foreign guests were so impressed by what they saw that they agreed to enter into military alliances with the Han emperor.

Because of the unusual and difficult nature of the feats involved, high honor is conferred upon those skilled enough to become acrobats; an acrobat can be considered the Chinese equivalent of an American opera star. In China there are approximately 100,000 acrobats studying at schools dedicated to the art. After five or six years of extensive tutoring, often beginning as early as age 5 or 6, a promising student will join a professional troupe, usually a citywide organization that draws its members regionally. Today, professional acrobatic troupes travel throughout China, bringing their own unique costumes, stage props and acrobatic styles to factories, villages, army units, remote areas and frontier outposts. Only the very best, however, are given a tumble by an elite world-touring troupe such as The Peking Acrobats.

Chinese acrobats have continued to perfect an evolving folk-art form. Tradition demands that each generation of acrobats add its own refinements and embellishments. The Chinese acrobatic tradition is still in full flower, carried on by the incredible skill and innovation of the artists and the unquenchable enthusiasm of the public.

A performance by The Peking Acrobats is an opportunity to view the epitome of an awe-inspiring art together with the pageantry and spectacle of a Chinese circus.

Available for midday and evening cruises year-round, the General Jackson Showboat offers exceptional dining and entertainment including country music, Broadway-style musicals, and party and special-event cruises. The General Jackson is owned by Gaylord Entertainment. For more information, visit www.generaljackson.com.

Tickets for Midday Cruises featuring the Chinese Acrobats (appearing through Nov. 28) are available online at www.generaljackson.com or by calling 1-866-567-JACK. Two- and three-night vacation packages are available at Gaylord Opryland Resort or at Radisson Hotel at Opryland.