But Mara Elder knows better.
“I can’t do most of the stuff they do up there,” the 15-year-old said.
Her mother, Joan Elder, said the show is one of their festival favorites.
“It’s colorful; it’s exciting; it looks dangerous,” she said.
The Golden Dragon Acrobats hail from Hebei, China, and tour all over the U.S. and the world.
Their act included building human pyramids, spinning tables on their feet, and jumping through hoops and over each other.
Their graceful stunts elicited lots of applause from the crowd of about 4,700. Bill Schwartz, director of development for the Springfield Arts Council, called the turnout excellent.
The large crowd surprised Karen Via. She came down to Veterans Park to put her chairs up about 10 a.m. Friday, and the park was nearly full.
Via came down to the show with her husband and three children. Her oldest daughter is in gymnastics, so she was excited to see them.
“The acrobats are very cool, with all the flying,” Via said. “And right now, with the economy, everybody’s looking for something free.”
Anne Woodruff brought her daughters, Allyson and Natalie, to the park. They come to several of the shows during the free festival that continues until July 17.
“We enjoy the shows; we enjoy the people,” Woodruff said. “Family and friends can get together.”
They particularly like the talented acrobats.
“They do cool tricks,” 10-year-old Allyson said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0363 or ssommer@coxohio.com.
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