Chinese acrobat Zhu Zhengzhen, top, dances on the head of her partner, An Nan, during the Big Apple Circus, at Ninigret Park in Charlestown through July 15.

Big Apple Circus / Maike Schulz

Even when you see it, you can’t believe it. A woman is dancing on a man’s head.

And it’s not a cartoon. It’s not some special effect. An actual woman is standing on an actual man’s head, and she’s dancing an elegant and graceful dance, a pirouette en pointe, performed on the most unlikely of surfaces — a skull, and, occasionally, a shoulder.

See for yourself. And even then you won’t believe it.

The Nanjing Duo comes to Rhode Island as part of this year’s Big Apple Circus.

The couple, Zhu Zhengzhen and her partner An Nan, the only people in the world to do what they do, will do what they do for the next week in Ninigret Park in Charlestown.

The circus, now in its 31st year, is probably best known for its central character: Grandma — who’s not. She’s a he, a man in drag, which, in part, is what makes her/him/it a clown. Barry Lubin, who grew up in New Jersey and who attended Emerson College in Boston, plays the part, as he has since 1982.

Each year the show remakes itself with a new theme. This year’s is quite simple: play. And that’s of two types, physical play and musical play. So the name of this year’s show is Play On!

The Big Apple Circus is known for its intimacy. There’s one ring, not several. The tent is small, seating just a few hundred. So no seat is farther than 50 feet from the action.

The show does not involve wild animals; in terms of the action, there are clowns and jugglers, aerialists and acrobats, performing horses and dogs, and a live eight-piece band — all the things you expect to see at such an event.

But you can also expect the unexpected: the Nanjing Duo. You can see them perform on YouTube (Nanjing Ballet Duo). But that will only make you doubt what you see, that perhaps there’s some technological trickery involved.

There isn’t.

Zhengzhen is stunningly limber and lithe, and seemingly weightless. She is part contortionist, part acrobat, part ballerina.

“This act combines Chinese acrobatics with Western ballet; I can finally mix the two,” Zhengzhen said through an interpreter. “I am grateful to express my talents to Americans.”

This is the first North American tour for Zhengzhen and Nan, who were both born in Jaingsu, China. And both were trained in traditional Chinese acrobatics. Five years ago, Zhengzhen began practicing and incorporating ballet into her performances. One thing led to another. And before Zhengzhen knew it, she was dancing on Nan’s head.

“In traditional Chinese acrobatics I have to stand on my partner’s head and shoulders in order to perform.”

While she’s up there, Zhengzhen figured she might as well dance.

“I have the ability to dance en pointe. I am qualified to dance on my partner’s shoulder and head.”

Zhengzhen says she likes dancing up high. It makes her feel tall.

“The act is very elegant. It makes me look beautiful.”

The act is shocking. And it makes Zhengzhen look superhuman in her grace, poise, balance and defiance of gravity. This is the response of audiences, again and again.

“There are lots of wows,” said Georgia Stephenson, the show’s production manager. “When the act begins, they’re doing some dance and it looks like it will be a ballet routine. But you see it becomes an extreme version of ballet, with acrobatics and danger and beauty. It really takes you to another level. It takes the audience by surprise.”

Zhengzhen is more modest about her achievement.

“We tried our best to make this act unique.”

The Big Apple Circus performs in Ninigret Park, off Route 1 in Charlestown, Friday through Wednesday. Shows are Friday at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday at 11:30 a.m., 3:30 and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Monday and Tuesday at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m.; and Wednesday at noon and 4 p.m. For tickets, $16 to $42, call (888) 541-3750 or visit bigapplecircus.org.

brourke@projo.com