"Le Grand Cirque's Imagine," an international circus production, will help Dollywood kick off its 24th season and its annual Festival of Nations event.

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PIGEON FORGE - Dollywood's director of entertainment is talking about the "wow" factor for the theme park's new show while the guy behind him lies back on a thin rope as if it were a hammock.

Then the guy gets up and walks across the rope effortlessly.

A while later, a woman wrapped in netting is upside-down and pulled up to the ceiling. As she hovers, she's talking in Chinese to the men standing below her.

This is just rehearsals for "Le Grand Cirque's Imagine," the international aerial circus production debuting Saturday.

"It's insane how easy they can make this all look," says Paul Couch, who oversees Dollywood's entertainment. "It's a great entertainment year for us. As entertainment director here, I wake up some days and say, 'Somebody pinch me.'"

"Imagine" will be the centerpiece for Dollywood's month-long Festival of Nations, the annual international event of food, art and music introducing the theme park's 24th season. "Imagine," combining athleticism, acrobatics, music and special effects, will be housed in the Celebrity Theater. No additional admission fee is required for Dollywood guests.

"Imagine" is Dollywood's reason to brag this season, taking the spotlight since the theme park did not build a previously announced ride attraction. That project has been put on hold for now.

With the recession deepening, Dollywood is turning to the stage to draw customers. Officials are hoping "Imagine" has the shine to kick off the new season in style.

More than 30 performers from almost a dozen countries are in the production. They'll perform pole climbing, contortions, hoop diving, unicycling and walking mid-air over silk ropes.

"It's a very modern, theatrical circus really," says associate producer Simon Painter. "There is a girl who can contort her body in seemingly impossible positions, balancing lit candles all over her.

"There is a world-champion hand balancer from Moscow who can lift his body with one arm. We have a unicycle act that skips over four big balls.

"We have aerial bungee acts and aerial silk (walking) acts. It's a very fast-paced, energetic and colorful show."

One number has six people performing an

aerial ballet on silk scarves. One unicycle performer rides upside-down, with only one hand touching the cycle.

None of the acts depend on wires to maintain their balance or do their gravity-defying tricks, says Painter.

Well, there is one act: A guy is flying over the stage using scarves while holding a girl who has a rope around her neck.

And she's spinning. Twenty feet off the ground.

"It's beautiful stuff, and they do it with such grace," says Painter.

Russia and China are a "stronghold" for acrobatic talent, he says. "They have circus performers who date back in their families for several generations."

"Imagine" is performed four times a day, with two of them containing completely different tricks.

"You'll see some cool flying," says Couch. "You'll see people scrambling up these poles and then hang upside-down, parallel with the floor. It's insane how easy they make it look.

"To me, they look like superheroes."

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel
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