An experimental Chinese acrobatic production will be making its way to the Eisenhower Auditorium next Wednesday.

Chi, the performance named after the ancient Chinese life force of the same name, will feature athletic and acrobatic movements, set against a background of foreign music, lighting and stage design.

The show, which originated in Shanghai, China, was produced by the China Performing Arts Agency in cooperation with the Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe. It is currently on its first American tour.

"It's a really complicated, fresh and new acrobatic show," said Clarissa Zheng, the troupe's interpreter.

Zheng said the show is a combination of Chinese acrobatics and kung fu.

Acrobatics, for which many troupe members have won several awards, will be the main focus of the show, she said.

Other elements to look out for include exotic music and costumes. Chi will feature traditional Chinese music, played on ancient Chinese instruments such as the xun, erhu and pipa.

"The music takes the audience back to ancient times," Zheng said.

Toward the end of the show, however, the audience should expect a shift from traditional to modern pop music.

Zheng said the contemporary music would bring the show "from the past to the modern."

The costumes, too, take on a special significance. Most of the colors contrast between black and white, as well as red and yellow, Zheng said.

"It does not look like conflict, but harmony," she said.

Zheng explained how the show relates to Taoism, an ancient Chinese philosophy.

In that system of beliefs, the life force chi implies the "supreme" and "ultimate" vastness of the universe.

According to this philosophy, everything in the world is formed by the elements of yin and yang, which represent a sort of balance.

"We catch a kind of balance with the gymnastic skills," Zheng said. "We also use the color."

Chi manager Chris Badaracco stressed the theatrical nature of the show.

"It's kind of gymnastics meets Broadway," she said.

Center for the Performing Arts spokeswoman Laura Sullivan said that while there was not a lot of available information about this relatively new performance group, she is happy the show is coming to Penn State.

"They are supposedly one of the very best acrobatic troupes from China," Sullivan said.

Previous acrobat shows have gone well.

"We have had much success with similar programs over the last few years," Sullivan said.