A DELICATE BALANCE THE 'DRALION' MAY BE IMAGINARY, BUT CIRQUE DU SOLEIL'S ASTONISHING ACROBATICS ARE NO ILLUSION.

Byline: Alessandra Djurklou Staff Writer

A PETITE teen-age girl steps into the spotlight clad in a form-fitting bright green outfit with strips of fabric that give it the illusion of scales.

She quickly climbs a metal pole with a transparent round platform about two-thirds of the way up. Once on the platform - seemingly effortlessly - she does a one-arm handstand, her other hand extended, her legs up in the air. Switching hands, she strikes a few more poses. It's a breathtaking display of strength and grace.

The act is part of the spectacle of Cirque du Soleil's ``Dralion,'' which opens tonight in Long Beach.

Although the French-Canadian circus has been wowing audiences with its jaw-dropping acrobatics since 1984, performing on TV and even in an IMAX movie, the young girl's display is a reminder that there is no substitute for seeing the beauty and skill of Cirque's performers in person. You will, however, be able to get a glimpse of it on the Oscar telecast, March 24 on ABC.

Dralions, in case you're wondering, are the colorful, whimsical, half-dragon, half-lion creatures that Cirque has invented to symbolize the pairing of Eastern and Western sensibilities at the heart of this spectacle, which originally opened in 1999. The Cirque is touring eight shows at the moment, but ``Dralion'' is unique for its emphasis on Chinese acrobatics (there are 35 Chinese acrobats in the troupe) and Chinese circus elements. According to the show's artistic director Sylvie Galarneau, ``Dralion'' is in part an homage to China's circus tradition.

``(Cirque owner) Guy (LaLiberte) and the other owner had been working with Chinese acrobats,'' said Galarneau. ``And they had a dream of a troupe coming from China to perform with the Cirque.''

That dream was trickier to realize than one might think, Galarneau added. While the Chinese government has adopted a more open policy toward the rest of the world, it is still difficult to get Chinese citizens out of China unless they are involved in a government-sponsored project.

``It is difficult to get a small number of acrobats out of China,'' said Galarneau, but 35 was a ``big problem.'' But the Cirque, in part because of contacts the owners had made with Chinese troupes, was able to finally get the artists it needed. Traditional acts include ball rolling (or balancing on top of large balls), hoop jumping and tumbling.

The Cirque included all these acts in ``Dralion,'' Galarneau said, but added its own twist, combining the dragon and lion dances and adding tumbling and ball rolling to the mix, which makes for a unique program.

Making the colorful costumes for the acrobats proved a challenge for designer Francois Barbeau, who had to tailor his costumes to accommodate the extreme movements the performers have to make.

What is the best fabric to use?

``Moleskin,'' Barbeau said without hesitation.

No, that's not the skin of a small furry animal. It is a more generic term for a stretchy, Spandex-like material that can be dyed any of the elemental colors used in ``Dralion.''

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL'S DRALION

Where: Queen Mary Events Park, 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach.

When: 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 5 and 9 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 4 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 1 and 5 p.m. Sundays; through April 7.

Tickets: $45 to 65. Call [phone], or www.cirquedusoleil.com.

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