Acrobats must jump through visa hoops

Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2003 | 8:18 a.m.

Because of delays caused by an unforeseen visa procedure at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, the Imperial Acrobats of China were forced to cancel their performances at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Shows were scheduled to begin Thursday and continue through Sept. 6. Las Vegas was the first scheduled stop for the 66-member acrobatic troupe from Hunan.

But producer Stephanie So discovered too late that the embassy in Beijing required interviews with each of the visa applicants before they left the country. The soonest performers could be interviewed is Sept. 15.

The delay also caused the group to cancel its second stop on the tour: a Sept. 11 through Sept. 14 performance at Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va. The tour is now scheduled to begin in September at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

So is working with the Thomas & Mack to see if the troupe could perform there at a later date, possibly in November.

"We are trying to work with the venue to see if the acrobats can come back at the end of the tour," said So, a representative with the Los Angeles Regal Entertainment Groups, Inc.

"We're now trying to extend the visa. If our visa can be extended I don't see any problem."

The Imperial Acrobats of China tour is scheduled to end Nov. 2 in Los Angeles. The group is authorized to stay in the United States until Nov. 9.

Bringing the acrobats to the United States has long been a dream for So, who says, "This is a true reflection of the Chinese culture as well as acrobatic history. "I've always been very passionate about bringing the best of China especially the performing arts to America."

The two-hour show, described as a "high-energy, fast-paced journey," includes a portrayal of the spirit of terra cotta warriors. The life-sized clay soldiers were buried alongside Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China, to protect him in the afterlife. Qin Shi Huang died in 210 B.C. Since their discovery in the 1970s, thousands of the soldiers have been unearthed.

"There is a historical story behind all of the acts," So said.