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Be prepared to see athletes perform seemingly impossible physical feats at the Golden Dragon Acrobats show, one of its creators says.

The world-famous Chinese troupe of mostly young female acrobats will be coming to the Byham Theater on Saturday to perform two, two-hour shows full of contortionism -- the dramatic bending and flexing of the human body -- along with acrobatic artistry requiring superhuman strength and coordination, says Angela Chang, choreographer and costume designer. For instance, in one act, a woman stands on one leg atop a man's shoulder, and then she climbs on top of his hat and continues holding the difficult pose.

Audiences love the "wow!" factor of the Golden Dragon Acrobats, which have been touring around the world since 1978, Chang says.

"An acrobats show is just like a silent language," Chang says. "You don't need to understand the story first like opera, and you don't need to understand the language they speak. Acrobatics is just so easy to understand. ... When you see, you know.

"It's very easy to touch the audience ... when (the acrobats) do their tricks, and the audience has a feeling that it is so difficult and so hard," says Chang, a Taiwan native who lives in the Dallas area, which is the Golden Dragon American headquarters.

"They wonder how long it took to practice," Chang says, describing spectators' amazement and support. "The audience is really so lovely."

Most of the acrobats have been working on their craft since they were 7 to 10 years old, and they practice all day with intense concentration, Chang says. The ancient art of Chinese acrobatics began more than 2,000 years ago, and it has developed into one of the most popular art forms among the Chinese people, who love showcasing it to the world, Chang says.

"From the bottom of our hearts, we're sharing the Chinese acrobatic culture with the audience," she says.

People love the live family entertainment, and the kids especially seem to get excited by the acts, Chang says.

Chang says she hears kids after the shows exclaiming, "How did they do that?" to their parents. Then, the kids get down on the ground and try to demonstrate the acts.

"We really hope the parents can bring the younger generation audience," she says. "Most of the younger kids log onto the computer ... and there's not much time to get involved with the live show."

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