A woman balancing on one hand, rope-skipping taken to the edge with pyramids of skippers, aerial ballet with a hoop, acrobatic feats with bamboo poles festooned with glimmering fabric, extreme juggling, trampoline work that seems to turn the world sideways, acrobats diving through hoops like thread flying through needles, and a Dralion dance that blends traditional Chinese dragon and lion dances and carries them both to dizzying new heights: This is some of what you’ll see at Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion. The catch is that by the time you read this, Dralion will have moved on to British Columbia. Will you follow?

If you saw Dralion here in Portland in 2002, you didn’t see this one. While the Asian-inspired theme of harmony between nature and humans hasn’t changed, everything else has. Held under the big top nine years ago, Dralion is now performed in arenas. "Wherever you’re sitting," says publicist Julie Desmarais, "there’s always a new thing going on." Part of what makes the show so spectacular is the integration of traditional Chinese acrobatic arts, which, after 3,000 years, are still at the cutting edge.

Performer Zhi Yanan from Jinan in Shandong province, China says what she likes best about her work in Dralion is being on stage, where she can "show her best to the audience." She thinks Portland is very beautiful and likes the Rose City’s tax-free shopping opportunities.

Yanan demonstrated years of perfecting her craft in "Medusa," a group performance featuring flexibility and focus. And, as is the case for many of her colleagues from the Shandong Circus, one skill isn’t enough. Yanan is also adept at contortion and the Chinese yo-yo.

Artistic assistant James Santos, a former dancer, helps keep the look and energy of the show the same as it travels from arena to arena. "I like to share the knowledge I have and I like to be a student, too. It’s almost as if this is a reward for the work I put in as a performer." He appreciates the opportunity to learn not only about world culture from the citizens of 14 countries represented in the cast, but also about circus culture.

"Dralion draws from every culture known to man," said local mixed-media artist Bonnie Meltzer, who attended opening night in Portland on June 15 and was impressed with the mixing of east and west in the music and costumes.

The artist waxed rhapsodic as she described the fabrics and textures in the show. "If it’s possible to get more lush than traditional Chinese costumes, these are even more lush. And sometimes it’s tough to tell where costumes end and props begin," Meltzer went on, making reference to an enormous ribbon of blue cloth from which acrobats performing an aerial pas de deux suspended themselves. "And the headdresses with their elegant little glittery shimmering afterglow: Not only do the performers move, their costumes move!"

Victoria, B.C., where Dralion opens June 22, is about 300 miles away, and Penticton, B.C., where the show opens June 29, is about 450 miles away. Acrobats, gymnasts, musicians, singers, and crew are going to extremes each time they present Dralion. Will you go to extremes?

To learn more about Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion, visit <www.cirquedusoleil.com>.