Golden K Prize for Acrobatic Brilliance

An acrobatic program “Head Carrying on Two Rings” performed by young acrobatic artists Zhang Yuhui, Zhou Juan and Wang Min, from Hangzhou Acrobatics Troupe, won a Golden K Award at the 21st Monaco International Acrobatics Art Festival in December 2008. The jurors also issued a special honorary award of Monaco Mayor to the Hangzhou troupe as commendation to the creation of the program and the brilliant features of the show on the stage. Their award-winning performance is a breathtaking stunt with two stainless rings on a human pagoda formed by Zhou and Wang doing a set of impossible movements on the rings on the head of Zhang Yuhui.

Zhang Yuhui serves as the powerhouse of the performance. He started learning calisthenics at the age of 8. Three years later he began his acrobatic career at Hangzhou Art School. The six-year hard work at the essentials laid a solid foundation for his further brilliance.

The ring performance was originally designed for one ring and one girl artist on his head. After he joined Hangzhou Acrobatics Troupe, the ring stunt won a regional silver medal and a national bronze medal.

In September 2007 it was suggested that the stunt be upgraded to two rings and two girls upon the “foundation”. So Zhou was joined with Zhou Juan and Wang Min.

The stunt proved extremely difficult. Zhang Yuhui as the pedestal now had to carry about 112 kg on his head: two stainless-steel rings weigh about 20 kg and the two teenagers weigh about 90 kg. Zhang would have to be utterly steady and stable, or the two girls would find it impossible to do stunts on his head. In order to be able to support two girls on his head, Zhang practiced hard. He often stood and let a few colleagues got on his torso while he kept the two heavy hoops standing on his head. After much physical pains, Zhang finally became strong enough to bear the two girls.

However, this was only the first barrier overcome. The second barrier was the acrophobia that haunted Wang Min. Wang was supposed to perform on the second ring, the top section of the human pagoda, that is, she was to be more than 5 meters above the ground. Although she had danced on the first ring on Zhou's head, the new height scared her. In order to overcome the height fright, she forced herself to clime up to the top of a ladder or onto the roof of a building to look down. Gradually, the phobia faded. Zhou Juan was in the middle, she needed to keep herself balanced on the head on Zhou and give support to Wang in a higher position.

With the two essential barriers out of the way, the rehearsal started. The trio spent seventy days and nights perfecting the performance. A crew of artists helped with innovative choreography and designed innovative props, music and costumes to make every moment and every detail of the stunt dazzling. At the end of the 70-day rehearsal, they were confident that they were ready for the final competition in the Monaco international festival.

The curtain on the finals lifted on December 6, 2008. More than 100 acrobatic artists from countries such as USA, Russia, France, Italy and Ecuador put up more than 20 programs. It was the occasion in which the best acrobatic artists staged the world's best stunts for the top honor.

The Chinese trio wowed the audience and jurors with their absolutely stunning show. Zhou put the two silver-colored stainless hoops on his head and Zhou and Wang got onto his head. Without a safety belt, Wang performed all the breathtaking turning and hanging upside down together with Zhou.

Their convincing performance won a standing ovation from both the audience and jurors. The trio was awarded the Golden K Prize.