12 Established 1961 Lifestyle Features Sunday, May 30, 2021

alking tightropes, rappelling photos for the challengers. one adrenaline junkie surnamed Li told Wdown a four-storey-high rope “I’ve never had a more exciting expe- AFP after jumping off a ladder on the tunnel, sitting in a dangling bas- rience anywhere,” a glowing Peng Xin 58th floor. China’s mega structures have ket 58 floors high-tourists have been told AFP, wiping sweat from his brow come under scrutiny after a towering steeling their nerves for adrenaline-filled after finishing the challenge on the 33rd skyscraper in the nearby city of challenges in a new assault course at floor, 198 meters off the ground. “I came Shenzhen swayed without explanation the top of China’s tallest TV tower. Thrill- here mainly to challenge myself and get and was evacuated earlier this month. seekers in Guangzhou are rewarded a taste of new things,” he added. However, Li said: “The safety meas- with a rare panoramic view of the Costing over 80 million RMB ($12.5 mil- ures are good. It is only under this pre- cityscape along the Pearl River through lion) and taking over a year to build, the condition that we can fully enjoy the the steel structure of the tower, with a “Landmark Alpha” adventure park challenge.” The adventure park typically sweeping night breeze to break the sti- opened in January this year on the 600- welcomes two to three hundred tourists fling heat of the southern city. Wearing metre high Canton Tower. during public holidays-but not all have helmets and a harnesses, tourists can It offers extreme sports enthusiasts the courage to finish the full challenge. “I scramble and climb between the distinc- three different courses at heights rang- thought I was brave enough to do it, but tive twisting metal structure, accompa- ing from 198 meters to 298 meters. my legs just gave out,” confessed one nied by a coach who shouts instructions Adventurers in Guangzhou spend up to ashen-faced climber, retracing her steps while demonstrating techniques to go 688 RMB ($108) per person on a single along a rope tunnel. — AFP through each challenge, pausing occa- course in the tower. “The coaches gave sionally to find the best position to take very detailed and thorough instructions,”

These photos show visitors walking on a tightrope at the adventure park of Canton Tower in Guangzhou, China’s southern Guangdong province. — AFP photos

1965-66 saw a lot of Thai artefacts go were “very unnatural”, he admitted. a Thousand Trades” from -born missing.” The lintels were among 133 “With no contact, there are limited things choreographer Miguel Altunaga-cele- 1,000-year-old Thai artefacts on display at museums leaps that you can do.” brates Birmingham’s industrial heritage. and galleries in the US. “The return of The other, “Imminent”, by Brazilian- these antiquities holds great importance ‘False hope’ British choreographer Daniela Cardim, is ‘stolen’ artefacts in terms of history, archaeology, and cul- back in UK Later, the company started rehears- inspired by themes including climate ture to the Thai Government and the ing with dancers in “bubbles” to reduce change. “It’s very eclectic, it’s fresh... it’s Thai people,” the Thai foreign ministry the risk of the entire company having to what I think is the way forward for a bal- to return to said, after a handover ceremony earlier with Acosta self-isolate if one fell ill. Soon after- let company of the 21st century,” Acosta this week between US authorities and wards, the UK locked down again, with said. The company will also be staging a the Royal Thai Consulate General in Los theatres only briefly reopening in traditional favorite, “Cinderella”, later in Thailand from US Angeles. world premieres December before closing again until ear- June. “It is believed that both of the sacred ly this month. “It was like a false sense lintels were illegally exported from of hope,” said Rosanna Ely, a 25-year- ‘Not easily defeated’ uban ballet star Carlos Acosta is wo ancient sandstone artefacts Thailand around the 1960s during the old dancer at the company. The pan- Acosta’s programming reflects his staging world dance premieres at believed to have been stolen from Vietnam War.” The repatriation comes C demic “has been a nightmare for every- vision of dancers embracing both mod- T one of Britain’s top ballet compa- Thailand during the Vietnam War after a three-year investigation by the one”, Acosta agreed. ern dance and classical ballet. “I’m lov- nies to welcome audiences back after are set to return from the United States US Department of Homeland Security. For dancers, “the body suffers” but ing so much this contemporary stuff at the “nightmare” of the pandemic lock- Friday night, officials say. The temple The California museum insisted it had the lockdowns and reopenings were also the moment because it’s so different and downs. The 47-year-old, who took over support beams with their exquisite carv- long planned to return the artefacts, but “very damaging” psychologically, he it’s so much out of my comfort zone”, as director of the Birmingham Royal ings of the Hindu deities Indra and Yama disputed investigators’ allegations that said. For the company, closing down said Ely, after a rehearsal of “City of a Ballet early last year, said that he could date back to the late 10th or 11th centu- they were stolen. “We are very pleased during the normally lucrative festive sea- Thousand Trades”, Birmingham’s nick- not wait to “connect” with ballet-goers ry and had been on show for decades at that these lintels are going back to their son was financially disastrous, too. name during the Industrial Revolution. again through a mixed program of both the San Francisco Asian Art Museum. country of origin,” Jay Xu, the museum The cancellation of Christmas per- Darel Jose Perez, a 22-year-old modern and classical dance. They are expected to touch down in director, said in a statement. formances of “” meant it Dominican dancer, joined the Acosta grew up in poverty in Cuba Bangkok on Friday night and will be put US museums are not the only ones to lost around £1 million (1.2 million euros, Birmingham ballet as an apprentice but his prodigious talent propelled him on display at the National Museum for be embroiled in art provenance scandals $1.4 million), Acosta said. To welcome dancer in November, thanks to the into major roles at dance companies, three months from Tuesday, following a in recent years. Australia has repatriated audiences back, Acosta is putting on Carlos Acosta International Dance including in London. He special ceremony. at least eight looted statues to India “Curated by Carlos: Triple Bill”, a per- Foundation, which aims to give opportu- hung up his ballet shoes in 2016 and in Thai Fine Arts Department Director since 2014. France has vowed to return formance made up of three short , nities to dancers from disadvantaged January 2020 took over the reins of the General Prateep Pengtako said the two items taken from Senegal and Benin. two of which are world premieres, from backgrounds. “It was really hard to come Birmingham company, based in the UK’s lintels are about 1,000 years old and The Netherlands is moving to repatriate June 10. One of the premieres-”City of to a country I didn’t know,” he said. He second largest city. However, soon after show the influence of the ancient Khmer artefacts stolen from its former colonies. added that he “felt alone” during the his appointment, the country was Kingdom, which had its capital in mod- And Germany has promised to give back pandemic but was still very grateful for plunged into a series of lengthy lock- ern-day Cambodia. “Lintels are part of artefacts to Nigeria.— AFP the “great opportunity”. Acosta himself is the structure of ancient Cambodian tem- downs due to the coronavirus pandemic. of mixed Spanish and African heritage. He grew up as the 11th child in his fami- ples,” he told AFP. “The lintels were ‘Very traumatic’ assessed to be taken away sometime ly, but his truck driver father pushed him between 1958 and 1969. In particular, “It was very traumatic,” Acosta told to study ballet. AFP, after leading a class at his studio. His career saw him perform with the “This institution is very large. It was all world’s top companies, making him a new to me.” He had the task of keeping trailblazer for black dancers. While at the company’s finances afloat and chose The Royal Ballet, he was the only black to reduce his own salary so all 60 and one of only two dancers could be paid in full. The non-white dancers. “I think now this has was one of the changed,” he said. Acosta has set up first British companies to go back to live projects to help young dancers in his performances in October, between two native Cuba: the Carlos Acosta Dance lockdowns. Academy and the Acosta Danza compa- The first live show programmed by ny, launched in 2015. He said that his Acosta was a one-act ballet called background had given him “tremendous “Lazuli Sky”. Dancers obeyed rules on resilience” and he was “not somebody social distancing by performing in volu- that gives up or gets defeated very easi- minous skirts, inspired by the crinolines ly”. He hopes there will not be another worn in the 19th century when this was lockdown but added that “if it does (hap- believed to prevent cholera transmis- pen), then we’ll have to adapt”. — AFP sion. “I wanted to leave a record behind of the pandemic,” Acosta said, of the Cuban ballet star Carlos Acosta poses at A lentil originally from the Nong Hong Sanctuary in Thailand is displayed during a ceremony to show’s concept. But the lockdown rules the Birmingham Royal Ballet in return it to the Thai government in Los Angeles.— AP on dancers not touching each other Birmingham. —AFP