An innovative acrobatic piece leveraging cutting-edge trajectory capture algorithm alongside live performance thrilled viewers during China Media Group (CMG)'s Spring Festival Gala on Monday night -- the eve of the 2026 Chinese New Year.
Hosted by CMG, the gala delivered a more than four-hour-long feast of captivating cultural performances and entertaining variety acts to usher in the Chinese New Year.
Themed "Drawing Spring," the dazzling acrobatic program brought light to its fullest expression, capturing the essence of spring through a dynamic fusion of light, movement, and cultural traditions.
The talented performers came from the world-renowned Jonglissimo juggling ensemble from Austria, as well as the Henan Acrobatic Group and the Puyang Acrobatic Art School in central China.
The performance employed advanced trajectory capture algorithm to generate real-time visual effects from the performers' movements and the tracks of juggling clubs and the diabolos, also known as the Chinese yo-yo. Dynamic imagery of traditional lion dances and firework displays emerged in sync with their high-difficulty routines, translating traditional symbols of good fortune and festive cheer into spectacular light shows that conveyed heartfelt Spring Festival wishes.
"This is our first time integrating acrobatics with technology, particularly such advanced visual technology," said Bi Bo, director of the gala's acrobatics performance group.
"'Drawing Spring' is a very interesting program that combines Chinese and foreign traditional culture and Spring Festival customs. Through the rapid movement and somewhat uncertain changes of the juggling clubs and diabolos, it presents a series of images of Spring Festival scenes," said Guo Li, director of visual effects for the gala.
To achieve this seamless spectacle, performers from China and Austria dedicated extensive rehearsal time. They meticulously practiced every movement -- controlling the strength of diabolo spins and precision of juggling props' movements -- balancing the artistry of their routines with the technical demands of trajectory tracking, aiming to ensure every gesture perfectly would align with the digital visualizations.
"For us, the technical difficulty is rather hard to break through, I mean, the projection. So, we need to solve the basic problems first and then find our points to adjust the appropriate techniques for creation," said Xia Yuanyuan, director of the Henan Acrobatic Group.
"This show is special because the technology is very innovative. We use a tracking camera that sees the infrared LEDs inside of the juggling props and the diabolos. And we use this infrared camera to generate the visuals in the background in real time. So, everything that you can see on the LED screen, it is really generated in the moment, and it is created through the movement of the props. I think one of the main challenges is this is the first time that we collaborated with Chinese diabolo players, it is also the first time that we performed with diabolo players in the same show. So, there was a lot of new things that we had to learn, how to bring the best visual effects for each prop to the stage. And I'm very happy with the results that we created," said Manuel Mitasch, founder of the Jonglissimo.
Meanwhile, Bi noted that the future of acrobatics depends on expanding props, stories, and tech to deliver more exciting experiences.
"I believe that for the acrobatic world, the future lies in developing more acrobatic props and performances, and even richer and more diverse packaging and storytelling. We need more empowerment, whether in visuals, music, or technology, so that acrobatic performances can bring the audience more surprising and delightful experiences," he said.
The Spring Festival Gala is rated as the world's most-watched TV show celebrating the start of the Chinese New Year.It is regarded by many as the beating heart of the Chinese New Year's Eve celebrations.
The 2026 Spring Festival Gala has shattered viewership records across the board. By 08:00 Tuesday, the Gala had reached over 23 billion views across Chinese media, with peak online viewership surpassing 400 million. Television ratings soared to their highest in over a decade, and international reach hit an all-time high at 2.4 billion viewers.
Experts unveil how advance tech powers stunning acrobatics show at Spring Festival gala
