TIP-OFF
Chinese acrobats to tour state

The New Shanghai Circus, an ensemble of acrobatic wizards with a centuries-old legacy, returns to Hawai'i for a statewide tour next month.

The performing Acrobats of China demonstrate both power and grace, with mystifying and imaginative displays of balance and contortion, sharing an art form handed down from one generation to the next over the past 2,000 years. Adults and children are masters of the skill; the genre has influenced other modern-day circus specialists, including the Cirque du Soleil family of shows out of Montreal.

The play dates:

• Maui — At 7 p.m. March 7 and at 2 and 7 p.m. March 8, at Maui Arts & Cultural Center's Castle Theatre. Tickets: $22, $16 and $10; half-price for children 12 and under; on sale at the center box office.
• Kaua'i — At 1 and 4 p.m. March 9, at the Kaua'i War Memorial. Tickets: $20 adults, $9.95 for children 12 and under; limited Golden Circle seats are $30; on sale at Big Kmart, Progressive Expressions, Borders Books & Music, Larry's Music, Hanalei Surf Co., Foodland at Princeville and Ticket Plus outlets.
• Big Island — At 7 p.m. March 10, at Kealakehi High School Gymnasium in Kona, and at 7 p.m. March 12 at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium in Hilo. Tickets: $17.50 for adults, $7.50 for children 12 and under; on sale at Big Island Surf, Borders Books & Music n Hilo, MJS Music, Sack-N-Save in Hilo and Ticket Plus outlets.
• O'ahu — At 7:30 p.m. March 13 and 14, Blaisdell Concert Hall. Tickets: Opening night, $20; $5 off for children 12 and under and seniors; Friday night, $30, $25 and $20 for adults, $5 discount for children 12 and under and seniors; on sale starting Saturday at the Blaisdell box office, Ticket Plus outlets including Foodland, Sack-N-Save, the University of Hawai'i-Manoa Campus Center, Pearl Harbor's Bloch Arena and Navy Exchange.

Reservations: On Maui, call (808) 242-7469; on O'ahu, call 526-4400; on other islands, call toll free (877) 750-4400.