Red Panda (acrobat)

Rong Niu is a Chinese American acrobat who performs under the stage name Red Panda. Her act involves riding a 7-foot tall unicycle while catching and balancing multiple ceramic bowls on her feet and head.[1][2] She is known for her performances during halftime shows of National Basketball Association (NBA) games. She also appeared in season 8 of America's Got Talent.[3]

Red Panda performing at a Cleveland Cavaliers game in 2018.

Early life

Niu was born and raised in Taiyuan in Shanxi, China. Her parents, GuiZhang Niu and Jiang LongDi, were both acrobats.[2] She began practicing her act at age 7 under the tutelage of her father, and later attended a boarding school for the acrobatic arts. She also toured internationally with the Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe from age 14 to 19.[2][4]

She moved to the United States when she was 19, first to Orlando, Florida and later to the Sunset District neighborhood of San Francisco, California, where she has since lived.[2][4]

Career

After moving to the United States, Niu sent audition tapes to various circuses and venues.[2] On Thanksgiving Day in 1993, she received an invitation to perform at a home game for the Los Angeles Clippers, who needed a last-minute replacement for a canceled act.[5] In the subsequent season, she performed during halftime of over 40 NBA games.[2] She has since regularly performed at NBA games, developing a "cult following" among fans and sportswriters. She has also frequently performed during halftime shows of college basketball games.[3][6][5]

In 2013, she appeared in season 8 of America's Got Talent and earned a place as a quarter-finalist, but left the show for personal reasons when her father was diagnosed with cancer. She stopped performing to care for her father, who had been diagnosed with cancer and passed away in 2014.[2] She returned to performing at NBA games in 2015.[4][5]

In January 2018, her custom-built unicycle was stolen from the baggage claim at San Francisco International Airport. She temporarily used a makeshift unicycle made from old and broken parts.[5][1] After hearing about the theft, the Golden State Warriors paid to replace the unicycle.[1][7]

References
  1. "The Legend of the Red Panda: NBA Halftime's Can't Miss Act". ESPN Daily. April 8, 2022. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
  2. Fischer, Jake (2018-08-29). "Behind the scenes with NBA mainstay Red Panda". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
  3. Skrbina, Paul; Thompson, Phil (February 16, 2017). "Dish-juggling Red Panda dazzles Northwestern fans". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
  4. Maine, D'Arcy (2017-06-06). "Acrobat Red Panda: Performing 'gives me a sense of worthiness'". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
  5. Steinberg, Russell (2018-03-11). "A broken arm and stolen unicycle can't stop Red Panda". SBNation.com. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
  6. "Photos: Red Panda entertained the crowd at Cajundome". The Advocate. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
  7. Medworth, Whitney (2018-02-02). "Red Panda has a unicycle again thanks to the Warriors". SBNation.com. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
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