Shanghai Acrobats - Shanghai Centre Theater

On our last night in China, we spent the evening having a farewell dinner before heading toward the Ritz Carleton for a Shanghai Acrobats performance. The performance was at the Shanghai Centre Theater, located at 1376 Nanjing Xi Lu, Shanghai ( 4th floor of the Portman Ritz-Carlton Hotel ). As we headed up the escalators at the Ritz, we were afforded a spectacular view of the lighted trees in this part of town.

The performance is an hour and a half, starting promptly at 7:30 pm until 9:00 pm. The theater asks guests to arrive by 7:00 pm to ensure everyone is seated prior to the performance. The seats were a plush red material. Comfortable, but a bit cramped. Our tour company purchased the tickets as part of our broader tour. We were seated in the premiere section, just a few rows from the stage. These tickets typically cost around fifty US dollars if purchased directly. The theater seats just under 1,000 guests.

The theater was dark, and the acrobats nimble. No the best recipe for a point-and-shoot camera. I did the best I could. I even shot a video, which did not turn out worthy of posting. The acrobats perform as a series of acts. They are renowned as one of the premiere acrobatic performances in the world. The acts are typical for this type of performance. They demonstrate balance, strength, leverage and agility. Acts include nose balancing, foot juggling, teeterboards, bamboo climbing, hula hoops, hoop jumping, jar juggling, glass balancing and more. The acts can best be described visually, although the quality of the photos are not as good as I would have liked.

Of all the things to do in Shanghai, this is probably the one that I would suggest should not be missed. The performances are spectacular. And flawless. The demonstration of skills are as fun as they are amazing to watch. I seem to recall that there was even a bit of humor worked in for good measure. It was an hour and a half well spent. While the price may seem a bit steep, I will not likely ever visit Shanghai again. So I was glad that I was able to see this performance in Shanghai (I have seen a traveling version closer to home). Cheap seat tickets can be had closer to thirty dollars. If you get to Shanghai, add this to your to do list.

All photos are my own. They may be reproduced with prior permission.