Artists from the National Chinese Acrobats are playing the Sony Centre May 12, accompanied by the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra.When Mark Hammond, programming director of the Sony Centre, visited China on a talent-scouting mission, he was looking for something innovative and exciting. The act that caught his attention was theHunan Acrobatic Troupe. No wonder. This group had done 60 tours, winning prizes and seducing audiences all over the world.But Hammond knew that there was a limited market for such exotic shows in Toronto and the cost of bringing the Hunan troupe to Canada along with a large orchestra would be prohibitive.

The numbers could work if a tour operator were putting together an extensive North American circuit with Toronto just one of many stops. But to run up huge bills for a couple of shows in one city only would be an impossible risk.Luckily, Hammond came up with a solution. Instead of importing Chinese musicians along with the acrobats, why not collaborate with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, which had already been involved in successful shows at the Sony Centre, working with small bands, Russian dancers and even Bugs Bunny.Evan Mitchell, assistant conductor of the 52-piece KW orchestra, was happy to become a partner. He came up with a program of short classical pieces — including snippets of Verdi, Mozart and Mendelssohn — that were suitable matches for balancing acts, contortions, martial arts and plate-spinning feats.The Hunan Acrobatic Troupe will do shows at Kitchener’s Centre in the Square on Thursday and Friday, followed by two shows at the Sony Centre on Saturday.Meanwhile, Hammond has booked two more Chinese extravaganzas for the soon-to-be-announced 2012/2013 season.On Oct. 12, the China Disabled People’s Performing Art Troupe will present My Dream, a spectacle in which all the performers are blind, deaf or hearing-impaired.And on Nov. 23, the Shaolin Warriors will be at the Sony (nine years after a previous gig on the same stage) with their startling kung fu stunts.