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Tetrasomia – The New Era in Circus Art

Photo courtesy of New Pickle Circus.

Master trainer Lu Yi’s Circus of the Elements pushes human limits

By Yafonne

San Francisco’s beloved New Pickle Circus will unveil the wonders of Tetrasomia, a holiday extravaganza at Cowell Theater, to reveal a world where the human body confronts and transcends the natural elements of the earth, defying gravity to find beauty in feats of balance.

Under the artistic direction of the famed Chinese circus star and master trainer Lu Yi, performers interpret the natural elegance of earth, air, fire and water in harmony and conflict. Indeed, Tetrasomia refers to ancient Greek philosopher Empedocles’ doctrine of the four elements, which interplay to produce a dynamic balance in the universe.

Lu Yi, artistic director of both the New Pickle Circus and the San Francisco School of Circus Arts. Photo by Bruce Tom.

An internationally acclaimed former director and star performer of the Nanjing Acrobatic Troupe, Lu Yi debuts with New Pickle Circus for this production. “The show will include all the wonderful Pickle traditions that our Bay Area audiences love — great clowning, family entertainment, cool music and a lot of audience contact,” says Lu Yi. “But we’ll add something modern and artistic.”

Performed to an original score of modern electronic music by Holmes D. Ives (OVA) that fuses trance, breakbeat, drum and base, hip hop and classical, Tetrasomia puts a new spin on circus techniques, creating new acts such as hip-hop hoop diving, martial arts combat on Chinese poles, table tumbling and contortion acts on stilts.

The feats are executed by an international cast of nouvelle circus performers from the Pickles, Cirque du Soleil, Cirque Ingeneux, Circus Smirkis, Japan’s Pop Circus, the Nan Jing Acrobatic Troupe and the San Francisco School of Circus Arts. Acrobat Xiao Hong Weng, tumblers Aidan O’Shea and Aimee Hancock, contortionist Alexis Green, aerialists Chris Weiland and Leo Sblendorio, hand-balancer Matt White, and Ottavio Canestrelli on the German wheel embody the elements while veteran Pickle mime Diane Wasnak and her new clown partner Rob Rogers portray man’s comic attempts to control nature.

MAKING A NAME IN CHINA AND ABROAD

Hoopdiving through a sea of legs. Photo by Bruce Tom.

Born in Jiang Xu Province in 1938, Lu Yi began studying with the famous acrobatic artist Pan Yin in 1952 at the Shanghai Pan Family Acrobatic Troupe, and started performing with the Shanghai Red Acrobatic Troupe in 1954.

“In that time, China’s economics were very bitter,” he says. “I trained every day, 10 to 12 hours a day, fighting cold bitter air. We trained on the ground, no mats, not like here. We trained in snow. Don’t be lazy. The teacher always hit you. It was impossible to avoid this kind daily discipline.”

By 1957, he transferred to the Nan Jing Acrobatic Troupe and was elected Star Performer at the Nan Jing Arts Festival in 1959. From 1963 to 1976, his specialties were hand balancing, teeterboard and pagoda of bowls on the unicycle.

Then his career hit a roadblock. During the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), the Gang of Four stripped China of nearly half of its acrobats. “The government made famous people suffer bitterly. They feared artists were not loyal to the Communist Party,” recalls Lu Yi. “So they made you hurt a lot in that time. I went through that period, too.”

Lu Yi, however, remained with the troupe for 33 years, becoming its director, president and artistic director in 1975, and leading the troupe in touring over 30 countries throughout the world.

HISTORIC MERGER COMES FULL CIRCLE

A big top merger occurred when the San Francisco School of Circus Arts purchased the New Pickle Circus this past July. The School was founded in 1983 as a community project by the famed Pickle Family Circus, where artistic director Judy Finelli, aerialist Wendy Parkman and clown Hannah Kahn taught adults and children circus arts. It became a separate nonprofit organization in 1993, when the Pickle Family Circus changed its name to New Pickle Circus under the artistic direction of choreographer Tandy Beal.

So far, the merger appears to be a win-win proposition. “Through our acquisition of the New Pickle Circus, we have realized the dream of many circus fans throughout the country to have a conservatory program feed talent directly into a professional circus,” said the school’s executive director Patrick Osbon. “We are now able to offer what no other American circus can: training and instruction headed by world-class artist, master trainer Lu Yi, and the opportunity to perform in a highly acclaimed showcase for new circus arts.”

This combination of assets, according to Lu Yi, singles out San Francisco as the future hotspot for American circus. “In the United States, you won’t find anywhere a circus better than here,” enthuses Lu Yi with pride. “Why? Because here circus is an art. Here there is a real circus school.”

As artistic director of both the New Pickle Circus and the School, Lu Yi has developed quite a following over the past ten years of teaching, with students coming from Hayward, San Jose, and even Napa Valley. Some have studied with him for seven to eight years. Others have gone on to professional circuses, including Cirque du Soleil. Many families even say that if Lu Yi moves, they will move with him. “Their families trust me. They trust that I teach them the right things,” Lu Yi explains, laughing with affection. “I teach them to respect their parents and teachers. I not only teach circus arts, I teach them life lessons. They apply my lessons to other areas of life and watch it improve, even in school.”

Incorporating the best from the East and West, Lu Yi forges new grounds by weaving the training principles of Chinese acrobatics into the fabric of American circus, creating a new form and style that rivals all expectations. However, he has many challenges to overcome. “Americans are individualists,” he smiles in hindsight. “So I teach Americans how to work together with other people on the team. I teach them timing and ensemble work. How to help the other person during performance if one slips. Unspoken presence communication. It’s a highly specialized form of artistic technique.”

Moreover, Lu Yi wants to increase the level of respect for American circus on the world stage. “Americans do the same but simpler tricks,” he remembers from his competition judging days. “The Chinese and Russian circus is at a very high level. It’s more deep, more complicated. So that’s what I teach Americans. What is their specialty? Is it the jump? The tumble? The hoops? I use their specialty, their style and develop that to its maximum potential.”

Living now in Berkeley with his wife and two daughters, he still pours all his energy into the San Francisco circus. “No matter what happens to the school, whether it’s doing well or going bankrupt, I will stay to the end. I hope to leave my legacy here. I want to leave a good team here.”

He adds: “San Francisco needs more circus fans. I hope San Francisco people will see the value and make a future for the circus here. I hope they want to see it develop, mature and become truly great.” With Tetrasomia, it looks like that’s already happening.

Tetrasomia: Circus of the Elements runs Dec. 21 through Jan. 1 at San Francisco’s Cowell Theater, Fort Mason Center, Marina Boulevard at Bay Street. Matinee performances begin daily at 2 p.m., with no shows on Dec. 24, 25, and 28. Evening performances begin daily at 7:30 p.m., with no shows on Dec. 24 and 25. Tickets are $22 for adults, $17 for students and seniors, and $10 for children under 12 years of age. For tickets call 415-392-4400, 510-762-2277 or visit www.tickets.com online. Groups of 10 or more may purchase discounted tickets at 415-346-7805.