Click the video to learn more about Jones Talmadge. [Video/hangzhou.com.cn]

Jones Talmadge is an actor in X: The Land of Fantasy, a performance presented by world-renowned acrobatic show producer Cirque du Soleil and brought to East China's Hangzhou in 2019 from Las Vegas, the United States.

Talmadge is adept at a variety of Western dramatic art forms, including impromptu dance, modern dance, ballet, jazz, acrobatics, and magic shows.

Before coming to Hangzhou, he taught at the Broadway Gymnastics School and the Department of Dance of the University of California in Los Angeles.

"Marco Polo came to China and brought Western culture to the country. I think I'm doing the same thing he did several hundred years ago," Talmadge said.

He said Hangzhou's scenery and folk art have a unique charm that has inspired him to infuse Chinese cultural elements into the show.

"The music and costumes in our show were heavily inspired by Peking Opera and the classic novel Journey to the West. I also enjoy watching traditional Chinese operas in my spare time to get more artistic inspiration," Talmadge said.

"I love the art environment of Hangzhou," he added.