Circus School

Directors & Producers:  Guo Jing & Ke Dingding
Produced by: Ke Dingding, ITVS
Duration: 52, 78 & 107 min.
Year of Production: 2006
Original Title: Circus School

Acrobatics is considered as the national quintessence of China. It has existed on this land for over a thousand years. This film relates the hard experiences of a group of children before they become acrobats.

Although circus is available all over the world the differences are distinct; China’s circus pays attention to the challenge against one’s bodily limitation in contrast to the emphasis on the traditional relationship between “man and animal” in western countries. The Acrobats in China begin their training during childhood and bear the physiological and psychological burdens until retirement – burdens that people outside the circus circuit cannot imagine.

The film follows a group of children at the Shanghai Circus School and shows the non-human treatments they suffer as well as the victory and extraordinary power of humankind they experience when making a success of their tough training.