New Tang Dynasty Television's (NTDTV) Divine Performing Arts group has once again enchanted Australian audiences at the Federal capital, Canberra, with their performances.
Australians in Canberra have had the unique opportunity to experience the very best of Chinese culture dramatised through live musical performances.
Many in the audience found watching the show a visual, cultural experience, something they have never seen before. Others simply appreciated the richness of Chinese art and traditions.
"I love your deep and ancient culture, and the subtlety and the messages that come from the form of dancing and the configuration of the use of the various elements of the dance. It's very anciently Chinese," said Mr Bernard Collaery, prominent human rights attorney and former Attorney-General of the Australian Capital Territory. "We've got a lot to learn from that. There's a message in it."
In an interview with NTDTV, choreographer and principal dancer Vina Lee described the Chinese dance style as one of the most unique dance forms in the world. Different from Western ballet, Chinese dancing combines a lot of different techniques – including flips, tumbling, turns, and jumps, and body movements and rhythm incorporating hand gestures. Ms Lee is a graduate of the Beijing Dance Academy and a classical ballet teacher of reputable institutions in Australia, including the Sydney Dance Company and the Aboriginal Dance Theatre in Redfern.
Susan Caulfield-Leclercq, a ballet teacher at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, commented: "The dedication and technique are on the same par, because it is very difficult to stand still for a long time and hold different poses. The usage of the body is very different from the balletic form."
Ms Caulfield-Leclercq, who has a diploma in ABS Ballet technique and has been a member on staff at QUT/Dance since 1989, also added that the dancing "is a lot calmer than ballet".
"It gives you a sort of serenity, while in ballet and the contemporary side of it, some things are a lot stronger," she said.
"A lot of it is traditional stuff, so it comes from a long time ago."
Traditional Chinese dancing has the ability to portray the characters through many different movements, thus the Divine Performing Arts Group is setting a precedent in retelling the countless stories from China's 5000 year history. The Tuesday evening performance in Canberra was added due to popular demand.
The NTDTV Chinese New Year Spectacular has extended its global shows to more screenings in New Zealand, Korea and Taiwan with the Divine Performing Arts group who are the artistic force behind New Tang Dynasty Television's Holiday Wonders and Chinese New Year Spectacular shows each year. Its mission is to rediscover the essence of true, traditional culture and to bring arts to the world that celebrate human dignity and positive values. It produces and performs works that center on classical themes and divinely-inspired cultural traditions. The group's performances aim to provide an experience of consummate beauty and goodness. For further information about the show in your city, please shows.ntdtv.com.
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