For pro wrestling fans expecting to see elaborate pyrotechnics, 500-pound behemoths or scantily-clad female grapplers, stay home.

But if you appreciate the aerial artistry and colorful costumes that can be found above and within the squared circle, then Chikara professional wrestling might be your ticket.

The Pennsylvania-based promotion, — which boasts intriguing characters like a colony of ants, two ancient Egyptians (a dancing pharaoh and cobra), an insect evil doer and two living ice cream clowns, makes its Illinois debut Saturday in Streamwood. The event is entitled “The Artistic Pursuit of Being Yourself”.

“This will be a fun show with a lot of colorful characters,” said Keith Lipinski, Chikara promoter. “Plus, we make it a family-friendly event. Some other groups go for the blood, guts and violence part of wrestling. We won’t have that.”

Chikara (Japanese for power) was founded six years ago as a training facility for would-be professional wrestlers. Perhaps its most famous alumnus is Chicago native, former ECW champion and former WWE world heavyweight champion CM Punk.

But one of the things Chikara does differently is that it trains its wrestlers in multiple fighting styles.

“Most times when guys train to be pro wrestlers they learn one style,” Lipinski said. “We have our wrestlers take certain aspects of British mat wrestling, some parts of Japanese and Mexican wrestling (also known as Lucha Libre) and mix them together.”

Mike Quackenbush, the founder of Chikara, is heavily influenced by Lucha Libre, according to Lipinski, and he will also be part of the six-man, tag-team main event in Streamwood.

Chikara also has a strong comic-book influence, not only in the costumes of its wrestlers but on its website (www.chikarapro.com) and on the covers of its DVDs like Style & Substance (from its Sept. 7 show in Philadelphia, Penn.).

Chikara has shown growth over the last few years and performed in several states but Illinois is the farthest west it has come. It also does not match the arena-sized crowds in pay-per-view events like WrestleMania, though Chikara will be in Cleveland, Ohio Sunday and travels to Oberhausen, Germany for a two-day event Nov. 8-9.

Its big yearly event, King of Trios, is held in March. On the third day, more than 500 fans watched the action of grapplers like Chicago natives `Da Soul Touchaz’ (Acid Jaz, Marshe Rockett and Willie Richardson with manager C. Red), F.I.S.T. (Gran Akuma & Chuck Taylor & Icarus), Incognito and Super Smash Brothers, all of whom will be on Saturday’s card.

Other merchandise sales and podcasts posted on YouTube.com help keep Chikara going.

“We know that there a lot of shows coming up in the Chicagoland area in the near future and it may be tough for us to set another attendance record,” Lipinski said. “But this is a very big weekend for Chikara and we promise a good show.”