BEND IT LIKE CHINA NEW SHANGHAI CIRCUS BRINGS SPECTACLE AND STORY TO CERRITOS CENTER.

Byline: Luanne J. Hunt Correspondent

'I don't really want to compare it to Cirque,'' said Greg Wilson, creative director of the New Shanghai Circus, featuring the Incredible Acrobats of China. ``It's really more like a Broadway show with a light story line interwoven into the amazing lineup of stunts.

``We've created a very different kind of presentation,'' he said of the show that runs Sunday through Thursday at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts. ``We're taking the incredible skills of these classically trained artists and combining them with more modern performance techniques.''

The Incredible Acrobats of China formed in 1984 and began touring the world. They have appeared at Walt Disney World, EPCOT Center, Disneyland, Six Flags, Busch Gardens and dozens of other theme parks. In addition, they have appeared on Broadway and at the MGH Performing Arts Center in Branson, Mo. The Branson show is said to be the largest Chinese acrobat production in the world outside of China.

Wilson recently took over as creative director for the New Shanghai Circus. The Hollywood native has been involved with various Chinese acrobatic troupes for a number of years.

After graduating from the USC School of Cinema and Television in 1989, Wilson began producing and directing acrobatic stage shows, television commercials and documentaries. In 1992, he directed the Bolshoi Circus of Moscow for its national tour of Japan.

Throughout his career, Wilson dreamed of creating a Chinese acrobatic show that was unlike anything ever seen before.

``These acrobats are so talented, and I really wanted to take what they do up another notch,'' he said.

The feats performed in the New Shanghai Circus range from unicycle riding, to jar juggling, to hoop diving, to nose balancing, to group contortion. Wilson said hoop diving is one of the most popular stunts. It entails five interlocking hoops, stacked more than 6 feet high, through which the acrobats dive.

Wilson also added an aerial silk act, which is something these acrobats have not done outside of China.

``Two men and two women perform acrobatic movements on a 30-foot-long piece of shimmering silk suspended from the ceiling,'' said Wilson, who is also an illusionist. ``They wrap themselves around it and fly through the air. It's beautiful, but very challenging.''

While demonstrating their athleticism and skill, the performers in the New Shanghai Circus wear costumes intended to dazzle. Wilson said some are traditional and have been pulled out of storage. Others are new and reflect a more Western style.

Wilson said the lighting and dramatic music sets his production apart from the many circus-style touring shows. The musical selections range from traditional Chinese to Latin, Russian and American compositions.

Shawn Lear designed the lighting. Lear's credits include stage lighting design for the Gatlin Brothers, Ray Stevens, Moe Bandy and the Las Vegas production ``Legends in Concert.''

NEW SHANGHAI CIRCUS

What: Acrobats from China.

Where: Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos.

When: 3 p.m. Sunday, 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday.

Tickets: $40 adults, $30 children. Call [phone] or [phone].

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color) In one of the Shanghai troupe's most popular stunts above, an acrobat dives through five interlocking hoops that are stacked more than 6 feet high. At left, a woman balances stacked objects while perched on a fellow acrobat's thigh.

(3 -- color) The Shanghai Circus performers catch and pass one of their acrobats after a leap through the stacked hoops.