Great China Circus in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee: Human Pretzels!

How flexible are you? Headed to Sevierville, Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg, Tennessee? No matter how flexible and coordinated you think you are, you will walk away with new definitions for the words, after you visit the Great China Circus in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. 

Chinese acrobats have been performing their art since 500 B.C.; so to say they know their subject is an understatement. The acrobats come from the Three Gorges Province of China. Thirty-seven performers, up to 500 bright, colorful costumes and a mix of oriental and mainstream music ad to the awe and amazement you will experience during two full hours of entertainment.

Barnum and Bailey have nothing on these performers when it comes to tumbles, juggling trapeze feats and human pyramids. The human bungee spinner gains momentum as each performer is added to the pole. Humans are flying and flipping everywhere. Ever heard the phrase “lit up like a Christmas tree?” One of the flexible performers becomes a human Christmas tree as she is given lit candles one at a time. She adds these candles to her head, hands, and feet and never drops one as she exhibits her flexibility.

You’ll be asking which end is up, when you see how twisted and contorted some of these performers can become. Muscle control? They have it. Can you hold yourself at a ninety-degree angle to a pole? They can. Hats, plates, rings and boomerangs travel through the air. Even though there is little to no speaking, exaggerated movements and gestures ensure the audience understands. Duck when the giant boomerang comes out—just kidding.