Red Panda

Rong "Krystal" Niu is a Chinese American acrobat who performs under the stage name Red Panda named after the animal with the same name. Her act involves riding an tall unicycle while catching and balancing multiple metal bowls on her feet and head. 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 , series 18 of Britain's Got Talent, and Live with Kelly and Mark.

Early life Niu was born and raised in Taiyuan in Shanxi, China. Her parents, GuiZhang Niu and Jiang LongDi, were both acrobats. 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.

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. In the subsequent season, she performed during halftime of over 40 NBA games.

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 him. During her hiatus in 2014, Darren Rovell reported that she made $5,000 per performance at her peak.

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.

She appeared on Britain's Got Talent series 18 in 2025 and reached the semifinals. Niu also made an appearance as a halftime performer for the fictional basketball team Los Angeles Waves in the 2025 comedy series Running Point.

On July 1, 2025, Niu was injured while performing at the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup championship game. During her halftime performance, she fell from her unicycle, fracturing her left wrist. According to Niu's agent, the fall was caused by a faulty left pedal that was damaged while in transit. She returned in October, performing on Amazon Prime in a postgame performance after its Thursday Night Football game.

Personal life Niu became a U.S. citizen in 1997.