Extraordinary acrobatics to open international arts festival in Perth

World-renowned acrobatic performers are set to amaze Perth tonight at the opening of the 2011 Perth International Arts Festival.

Tourism Minister Kim Hames said the State Government, through Eventscorp, had provided funding to host the festival opening event, an open air spectacle developed by German action theatre company Pan.Optikum.

"The production, titled 'Transition', will feature a mix of acrobatics, pyrotechnics, large-scale video effects and live music, and has already performed to great acclaim across Europe, Mexico, Singapore and at the world-famous Glastonbury Festival in England," Dr Hames said.

"The free opening event is sure to be a crowd pleaser, and will set the scene for a number of other inspiring and exciting events which will take place over the next few weeks as part of the festival."

Since 1953, the Perth International Arts Festival has presented some of the world's best theatre, music, film, visual arts, street arts, literature and free community events.  

More than 800 national and international performers will be involved in the festival this year, held from February 11 to March 7.

The Minister said that in 2010, the festival was attended by a record 817,000 people.

"It also reached more than 1.2 million people through a range of media, with an estimated advertising value of approximately $4.5million," he said.

"This is a very impressive result, as it showcases Perth as a key cultural and arts destination, offering many diverse experiences for visitors.

"The 2011 festival is set to be bigger and better than ever before, with the aim of reaching a wider international press audience."

Attendance is free to Pan.Optikum's 'Transition', which will be held tonight at 8.15pm at the Supreme Court Gardens.

For more information on the production, or any other events held throughout the Perth International Arts Festival, visit http://www.perthfestival.com.au or phone 6488 5555.