From a program that simply showcases skills to a comprehensive theatrical art form of "dancing ballet on people's shoulders, it's beyond imagination!" Until today, the exciting segments of "shoulder ballet" are still popular content on various short video platforms. Chinese acrobats not only created the "shoulder ballet" that combines acrobatics and ballet, but also used this technique to perform the first acrobatic play "Swan Lake". As early as the 26th Monte Carlo World Acrobatics Competition in 2001, the acrobatic program "Eastern Swan - Ballet Top" shone brightly. Under the performances of Wu Zhengdan and Wei Baohua, the pioneers of "shoulder ballet", swans from the East "flew" onto the shoulders of the prince, standing their toes on a small deltoid muscle and dancing graceful ballet. The program won the "Golden Clown" award at the world's top acrobatic competition. In 2004, under the guidance of director Zhao Ming and others, Wu Zhengdan and Wei Baohua expanded a complete stage play with the program "Eastern Swan - Ballet Top" as the core: the acrobatic play "Swan Lake". In the play, to Tchaikovsky's moving melody, white swans dance gracefully, and the prince and his entourage board the ship and sail to the east, staging a romantic story. The exquisite technique and stunning artistic expression of the works not only shock the audience, but also trigger a "acrobatic revolution" in the acrobatic industry. More and more acrobatic groups in China are beginning to create and produce acrobatic dramas, and acrobatics has entered the era of "drama". We hope to make acrobatics less' traditional 'and tell it in contemporary language, showcasing its vibrant vitality Wu Zhengdan, who is currently the Vice Chairman of the China Acrobatics Association and the General Manager of Guangzhou Acrobatics Art Theatre, said. Integrating skills into drama is precisely the innovation of acrobatics that actively conforms to the aesthetic preferences of current audiences. When high difficulty techniques are incorporated into stories with twists and turns, the boundaries of acrobatic performance are greatly expanded. In the acrobatic drama "Battle of Shanghai" premiered in 2019, the creators used collective rope ladder techniques to depict the scene of the People's Liberation Army relying on "close combat" to attack the telegraph building: eight sets of rope ladders hung from the sky, covering the entire stage space, and the heroic spirit of soldiers fighting against the enemy to the end moved the audience. Dong Zhengzhen, former deputy commander of the Forward Acrobatics Troupe of the Political Department of the Shenyang Military Region, believes that "in recent years, the development momentum of Chinese acrobatic dramas has been very good, especially realistic themed acrobatic dramas, which have begun to develop in depth. The industrial themed work "The Bridge" that showcases the construction process of the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, the "Rural Revitalization" themed work "Our Beautiful Life" that tells the story of college students building their hometowns, and the work "Bamboo in the East" that expresses the concept of "green mountains and clear waters are as valuable as mountains of gold and silver" have all been loved by audiences, and the "story library" of acrobatics continues to enrich. From simply showcasing skills in a program to a comprehensive theatrical art, this provides greater space for the combination of acrobatics and modern stage technology. The latest technologies such as 3D projection, holographic imaging, AR/VR, etc. make acrobatics more enjoyable, beautiful, and fun. Many acrobatic dramas cleverly use ice screens to match the appearance of characters, succinctly explaining their identities and allowing the audience to quickly capture their relationships; By relying on holographic imaging technology, "Hua Die" visually presents the scene of Liang Zhu transforming into a butterfly, enriching the audience's aesthetic experience. As Bian Faji, Chairman of the Chinese Acrobatics Association, said, acrobatics upholds an open and inclusive attitude, embraces new technologies, integrates modern aesthetics, and constantly achieves breakthroughs. It is imperative to construct a theoretical framework for acrobatic criticism with Chinese characteristics. Starting from the acrobatic drama "Swan Lake", Chinese acrobatic drama has gone through 20 years this year. Although the overall creative momentum of acrobatic dramas is rapid, there are also some works that have not stirred up much waves, and the rules and lessons learned from them urgently need to be sorted and summarized. Dong Zhengzhen used the phrase "crossing the river by feeling the stones" to describe the past twenty years. "How should the characters of acrobatic dramas be shaped? What are the similarities and differences between its arrangement and other plays? These are neither orally taught by masters nor theoretically based, relying solely on creators to explore bit by bit." For example, how can acrobatic techniques be closely related to the plot? We mainly use deconstruction to break down existing acrobatics programs, re-examine the various elements of acrobatics, and then fill them into the plot. If deconstruction is not reasonable, it will make the skills and plot appear like 'two skins', "said Yu Yigang, Vice Chairman of the China Acrobatics Association and Artistic Director of the Shanghai Acrobatics Troupe. In traditional acrobatics, "director" generally refers to a skilled director who is responsible for the design of acrobatic programs, including developing techniques, improving movements, etc. Currently, acrobatic drama creation often relies on dance directors to complete the stage presentation of the play. Although acrobatics and dance are both physical arts, props are very important in acrobatics. Creators need to have a deep understanding of the acrobatics itself, otherwise even if the design is beautiful, the props will be completely broken as soon as they are moved out, "said Dong Zhengzhen. Regarding this, Han Zhen, a first level director of the Oriental Song and Dance Troupe who has directed multiple acrobatic programs, deeply felt it. "For example, the soft steel wire may be raised by one meter, and the actors cannot complete it. Although I have been constantly communicating and exchanging ideas with the actors during rehearsals, this is far from enough for all encompassing acrobatics." When it comes to the experience of creating acrobatic dramas, Yu Yigang introduced the creative process of the acrobatic drama "Snow in the Tianshan Mountains". The script for this drama was written in 11 drafts, and after each rehearsal, the screenwriter had to revise the script according to the actual situation of the rehearsal. It was also constantly adjusting, and the screenwriter refined and sublimated the theme of 'born as an eagle, flying against the wind', "Yu Yigang realized." Acrobatic drama creation should form a creative team, and drama planning, prop design, and program design should be carried out simultaneously to greatly improve creative efficiency. These experiences have significant value for the future development of acrobatic theater. At the same time, the evaluation criteria for acrobatic dramas have not yet been fully established. At present, the evaluation of acrobatic drama as a new art form mostly revolves around whether the integration of skills and drama is good, whether the difficulty of skills is reduced due to the plot narration, and how the actors perform. Yu Yigang felt that if we only talk about emotional understanding or apply theories from other stage arts without involving the essence of acrobatics, the guiding role of such evaluation in creation would be very limited. In November of this year, the China Acrobatics Art Research Center, jointly established by the China Acrobatics Association, Guangdong Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and Xinghai Conservatory of Music, settled in Guangzhou and attracted much attention from the theoretical and critical circles. Wei Baohua, the director of the center and the dean of the Dance School of Xinghai Conservatory of Music, said that the center would focus on building a disciplinary system of acrobatics and accelerate the research on the rules and theories of acrobatics creation. In response, Yin Li, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Association of Literary and Art Critics, called for establishing its own coordinates in the contemporary art criticism system, starting from the aesthetic and ontological levels, establishing evaluation standards for acrobatics, and actively exploring the construction of a theoretical framework for acrobatics criticism with Chinese characteristics. This is the core of China's acrobatics to develop to a higher level. Acrobats also need an overall improvement in their artistic literacy, from focusing on completing technical skills to performing theatrical shows on the basis of completing difficult techniques. Acrobatic dramas also place higher demands on acrobats. In the eyes of Gu Liangliang, an actor from the former General Political Song and Dance Troupe and a national first-class director, many acrobats have introverted personalities. "This is related to the characteristics of acrobatic art, such as the need for performers to have very stable emotions and not be disturbed by the outside world in the top cylinder technique." There is a natural contradiction between the true kung fu of acrobatics and the assumption of drama. How to maintain the true and delicate emotions in a tense performance environment is a major challenge for actors. Tana, the head of the Inner Mongolia Art Theatre Acrobatic Troupe, feels that in the creation of acrobatic plays, it is often difficult for actors to fully understand and express the director's intentions. She gave an example, 'When performing dance, you can always see traces of' acting ', and the actors' bodies and expressions are not natural enough.' Tana believes that acrobatic techniques need to continue to develop towards artistic heights, and actors must also be able to perform from the inside out, which requires an overall improvement in artistic literacy. When performing with an acrobatic troupe abroad, I found that the troupe did not have a director. My role was entirely taken on by the performers in the troupe, and their communication and interaction with the audience were natural and smooth. This was not something that the director 'broke' Han Zhen said. Compared to other art forms, the talent training model in China's acrobatics industry is still very traditional, and the discipline construction is not perfect. It is urgent to establish a modern talent training system, which has become a consensus in the industry and academia. Wei Baohua introduced that in September next year, Guangzhou Xinghai Conservatory of Music will welcome the first batch of master's students in the research direction of acrobatic dance choreography. Many experts believe that this may provide new ideas for the cultivation of acrobatic talents. Dong Zhengzhen suggested that the establishment of the discipline of acrobatics should not be limited to the acrobats themselves. "On the one hand, it can include acrobats who are willing to continue their studies, cultivate their directing awareness, and enhance their aesthetics. On the other hand, it should also recruit talents from other art disciplines to deeply learn and understand the essence of acrobatics, and better apply it to their creations." Tana proposed her thoughts based on the specific situation of the talents in the troupe: "Many acrobats enter the troupe after graduating from vocational school, which is also the golden period of their artistic life. How to break the educational threshold and provide them with opportunities for further study still requires many practical considerations