JINAN - Chinese acrobats will perform at the Academy Awards for the first time Sunday, hitting the stage in Los Angeles at the Kodak Theater as part of the ceremony.

Nine performers from east China's Shandong Province will perform grueling feats of physical prowess, according to Zhou Yonghui, the acrobatic team's coach.

No stage props will be used by the performers, Zhou said, adding that the performers won high honors at the 34th International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo in 2010.

Zhou said acrobats from Russia, France, Brazil and Ukraine will also perform during the ceremony.

Chinese acrobatics has been around for more than 2,000 years and puts an emphasis on agility and speed, said Yao Jianguo, head of the Shandong Provincial Acrobatic Troupe.

"It may impress Western audiences, as such art is rarely seen in their countries," Yao said.