Female Flyer

Ye Yi often performs abroad.

AT six o'clock in the morning, when most people are still slumbering, 15-year-old Ye Yi has already gotten up to prepare for the day's training. When audiences applaud an acrobat's brilliant performance, they have no idea of the hardship that goes into its preparation. Mindful of their personal safety, acrobats take a serious and conscientious attitude to daily training, and accept unquestioningly the (literally) blood, sweat, and tears it entails.

Although Ye Yi is the youngest "female flyer" in her acrobatic troupe, to her fellow apprentices, she is a veteran. These young girls and boys remind Ye Yi of herself six years ago, when she was curious, nervous, and often tearful, but always tenacious. As monitor, she tries her best to help her younger trainees.

A female flyer's life means strict, regular training, and countless repetition of the same movements. Eager to do well at everything, Ye Yi is hard on herself and often attempts her male counterpart's more difficult moves. Although Ye sometimes gives in to tears, she never gives up.

Morning exercises.	Preparing for the "Silk Melody," a particularly difficult acrobatic style.	Ye Yi with her fellow apprentices, a vital new force in Chinese acrobatics.	The strain sometimes brings on tears.

Like all young girls about to bloom, Ye has many dreams. She wants to learn English, perform Chinese acrobatics abroad, and be a good acrobatics coach. She made up her mind to achieve all this six years ago when she joined the Zhejiang Quyi Acrobatic Troupe, and has worked towards her goal ever since.