There’s no way to deny that dancers are athletic. All of that leaping, turning, jumping – it’s a lot of work. The performers of AEROS, however, are literally athletes from the prestigious Romanian Gymnastics Federation who blend acrobatics, modern dance, theater and original music to create something entirely original.

Developed in 1998 by choreographers David Parsons, Moses Pendleton and Daniel Ezralow, who also collaborated with the creators of the tap sensation “Stomp”, Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas, AEROS quickly became the world’s first performing arts project for a national gymnastics team. They haven’t been in the D.C. area since 2001, so the performances tonight and Saturday night at the Warner Theatre are a unique opportunity to see them in action.

Blending dance and athleticism is nothing new and there are a number of troupes across the world who toy with the idea of impressive physical feats in their dances, such as Pilobolus. The creative colors and imaginative use of the human body that AEROS uses will also be familiar to people who enjoy the work of Momix, a company of dancer/illusionists, which makes sense as AEROS’ Moses Pendelton is Momix’s artistic director and choreographer.

Popularity of this genre of physically impressive performances grew among the public at last year’s Academy Awards ceremony, when dancers from Pilobolus created scenes from Oscar-nominated movies using only their own bodies from behind a shadow screen. They even impressed Oprah Winfrey, who showcased the company on her show weeks later to give the audience an idea of how the magic is created.

But while these kinds of companies have shot up in popularity and visibility, few of these use a full cast of gymnasts in lieu of trained dancers, giving AEROS an edge above the rest. If you’re not yet convinced that AEROS is a must-see, they’ve posted videos on their Web site and You Tube to give audiences a preview of what to expect.

Both performances this weekend are sponsored by the Washington Performing Arts Society and if you won’t be ready to call it an evening after tonight’s show, WPAS offers a “Culture Vultures After-Party” immediately after the performance.

Tickets to both performances of AEROS are still available by calling the Warner Theatre at 202-783-4000.

Photo of AEROS courtesy of WPAS.