ALEX KIANG IS WISE beyond his years. On rainy days, the five-year-old avoids walking on slippery roads, knowing he might slip, and when his classmates rush for food in the school canteen, he often reminds them to queue up. His father believes his son's sense of danger and self-discipline is thanks to the gymnastics class that he started taking two years ago.
'Gymnastics has taught him what danger and discipline mean. He knows what in daily life can cause injury and when he spots things that carry potential risk, he says, 'be careful, dad',' Ken Kiang says of his son. The benefits of gymnastics don't end there. Kiang says Alex is an extrovert with a lot of confidence and since he took up the sport, he has become even more outgoing and self-assured.
This is all illustrated at an acrobatic performance in Tung Chung. Together with 12 fellow students from the Sport Scene gymnastics school, which has several branches in Hong Kong, Alex somersaults skilfully and happily in front of dozens of spectators outside a shopping mall. The children, who are guest performers in the street show, being hosted by Australian circus school, Trix Circus, Arts and Acrobatics, also create a human pyramid for the first time. Helped by an adult trainer, Alex steps nimbly on to the thighs of two other children. The action is completed in a second and he breaks into a grin with a look of satisfaction.
'Gymnastics isn't like other activities such as playing the piano or painting. It makes a kid stronger both mentally and physically,' Kiang says, as he watches his son's feat.
Echoing Kiang's view is Rodleigh Stevens, head of Trix Circus, which is based on the Australian Gold Coast. The school is launching a course in Hong Kong next month that focuses on circus acts, skills largely based on gymnastics, and Stevens is in town to extol the benefits of the sport.
'We're introducing a skill to Hong Kong that is unique and special. It carries a lot of side bonuses,' says the professional acrobat. 'You'll be more confident and more focused; you'll develop stronger muscles. It's more than just learning to hang on to a trapeze.''
