Lavish splashes of electric blue, intense gold, and vibrant Chinese red dance across the stage of The New Victory Theatre in configurations designed to boggle the mind and the eye. The music accompanying these colors - and the athletic young bodies that wear them - runs from traditional to techno; the lighting is dramatic, or whimsical, depending on the act; and the overall effect is, in a word, unforgettable.

Welcome to the latest New York edition of The New Shanghai Circus - the world-celebrated troupe of Chinese aerialists, acrobats, jugglers, contortionists, and daredevils whose entertainment roots were planted 2,000+ years ago during the Han Dynasty - also known as China's imperial age - the time in which the country's performing arts began to take definitive shape.

Many of China's earliest jugglers and acrobats, for example, were craftsmen and farmers who developed their skills to dazzle fellow villagers at annual harvest festivals. By shape-shifting into human walls and pyramids, balancing one another in mid-air, and coiling their torsos and limbs into deliriously fabulous shapes, they became rural superstars. To keep things interesting, they added props to their acts: household items, mostly - chairs, plates, tools, assorted pottery - many of which are still used by today's New Shanghai Circus artists, albeit with a lot more glitz and panache.

Of these acts, plate spinning, juggling, acrobatics, and intricate physical contortions tend to be most familiar to Western audiences thanks to "The Ed Sullivan Show" and other TV fare, circa 1950s through the mid-1980s, as well as the more recent emergence of multi-cultural, New Age circus productions.

But what puts The New Shanghai Circus in a class by itself - making it the gold standard for similar companies - is the way it manages to both honor and transcend its rustic ancestry. Plate-spinners? You bet - but choreographed to include climbing, dance moves, and exhilarating feats of balance. Jugglers? Well, you won't find them tossing around mere Indian clubs and hoops at the New Vic. Instead, the stage is filled with graceful Asian beauties who use their feet to juggle a very curious collection of unrelated items: jars, umbrellas, rugs and, get this, a table!

The current production's lineup also includes such crowd-stunners as the "Chair Stack," in which a woman executes a series of heart-stopping poses atop a 20-foot high "ladder" of interlocking chairs; a gentleman whose well-honed agility has earned him the title of "Human Top," and a roller skating duo who limit their playing area to a six-foot wide platform. There is also a Fan Dance, a staggering Kung Fu segment, and a "Slack Wire" aerialist.

Lizhi Zhao, the company's producing artistic director, is clearly a master when it comes to melding age-old techniques with high-tech flourishes. Even more importantly, he has a gift for attracting top-notch talent - including some of China's most gifted athletes, several of whom have won top prizes in national competitions.

When The New Shanghai Circus made its New York debut in May of 1999 (also at the New Vic under Lizhi Zhao's direction), Lawrence Van Gelder of the New York Times declared, "...this youthful, handsome and graceful company spends a swift two hours in a range of demanding performances...the artistry, individually and collectively, attains levels that make it seem almost unfair to single out any act."

From all indications the show has only gotten better with time, as evidenced by countless rave reviews from cities like Boston, Los Angeles, and Kansas City. And in Branson, Missouri the show has consistenly racked up five-star ratings from tourists since it began performances there in the late 1990s.

Those of us in the Big Apple, however, look to The New Shanghai Circus as a special holiday gift - one that extends the magic of the season by granting us entry into a fast-moving, alternate universe peopled by an amazing group of fearless artists.

This awesome cultural experience is even better when shared...and your kids will love it, I promise!


The New Shanghai Circus at The New Victory Theatre (209 W. 42nd St.) runs through January 6. For reservations call 646-223-3010.