For over 2,500 years, acrobats have wowed crowds in China during festivals and other traditional practices. UW-Platteville was captivated March 23 when the Golden Dragon Acrobats performed to an audience of over 1,000 at the Williams Fieldhouse.

Photograph by Kate Olsen
The Golden Dragon Acrobats performed a wide variety of dances; power act.

ASIA Club co-sponsored the event along with Campus Programming and Relations, for the Asian Spring Night celebration. The two-hour, 10-act event consisted of a wide variety of acts including the Spinning Wheel, Pas De Deux, the tower of chairs act and bicycle family.

Asian Spring Night replaced the ASIA Club’s annual event “Taste of Asia.” The name of the spring event was changed because the ASIA Club is no longer providing food for the event.

“It’s important for ASIA Club to continue our annual cultural events to raise awareness of our Asian cultures, and to educate the campus and community of our cultures and history,” Kazzie Moua, a junior criminal justice major and president of ASIA Club, said. “The performance arts are a way of keeping our traditions alive so we can share it with the world.”

Photograph by Kate Olsen
Hat juggling.

This performance provided an educational and amazing event to many Platteville community members, UW-P staff and UW-P students.

“It was wonderful—a truly amazing performance,” Russell Braby, study abroad adviser, said. “Very hard to pick my favorite, all the acts were fantastic. Perhaps duo doing the ballet number.”

Braby attended the event to support the ASIA club as well as for quality entertainment.

“I went to the event because I knew it would be similar to the acrobats that came to campus before and I really enjoyed it,” Katy Lawfer, senior communication technologies major, said. “I really liked when the man balanced the woman on one shoulder.”

Photograph by Kate Olsen
Bicycle family.

In 2008, the Golden Dragon Acrobats celebrated the 30th anniversary tour in the United States. The Golden Dragon Acrobats is the only remaining Chinese acrobats in the U.S. that tours all year according to the ASIA Club pamphlet.