New Tang Dynasty Television's (NTDTV) 2007 Chinese New Year Spectacular has just graced the boards of the majestic Regent Theatre in Melbourne's Collins Street, an area commonly referred to as the city's "little Paris."
Many in the audience experienced what they described as exquisitely beautiful, with elements that seemed to strike a deeper cord.
Lyn Pearson a teacher from Northern Melbourne TAFE said, "I absolutely loved it. You don't have to know the words to understand the beautiful singing, the instruments the erhu — I've never heard the instrument before. For us cultural diversity is a big thing. It's absolutely amazing. Coming here has been a privilege. The Tiananmen dance made me cry. I thought to be able for a culture to show both sides I think it's really good. Really really enjoyed it."
Generally speaking, "beauty" itself is relative, therefore impossible to reach a consensus on. However, the Spectacular undeniably brings back the concept that beauty is intrinsically hopeful and limitlessly inspiring, and also imparts a sense of tranquil fulfilment. The show totally commits itself to giving the audience a deeper understanding and what is truly beautiful.
Kate Goodman, from West Virginia in the US, admired the show because it "amazed me with the costumes and the beauty of the dances."
The members of the Divine Performing Arts group have set themselves a monumental task. Their performance is obviously informed by China's rich ancient culture, but it goes far beyond that. And to see just how they do that, one must experience the show, because it simply cannot be adequately described.
On the subject of beauty, the Spectacular makes a valuable point that may very well set the benchmark for the future.
The Dunhuang Caves, which serve as inspiration for one of the performances in the show, "A Dunhuang Dream," are historically invaluable as well as exquisite from an aesthetic point of view. The caves, which are in Shanxi Province and are also known as the "Caves of the Thousand Buddhas," contain an astonishing number of colourful Buddhist paintings depicting the heavens, images of Buddhas and also heavenly beauties called Feitian, who fly about scattering fragrant flowers and making music. Other figures included among the heavenly beings are celestial soldiers who guard the disciples of the Buddha and heavenly kings that safeguard the Law of Buddhism.
Painted around the time of the Tang Dynasty (618AD–907AD), which is considered the most culturally prosperous period in Chinese history, the art in the Dunhuang Caves portrays the dress and comportment of people living at the time and shows the close connection between spirituality and secular life. The origin of many Chinese martial arts can also be traced back to the art in the Caves.
The pursuit of enlightenment has existed in all cultures since time immemorial. The Chinese culture retained that thread until the so called "Cultural Revolution" which sought to destroy everything of China's 5000-year-old spiritual traditions. However, looking at those attending the Spectacular, it appears that Chinese people have not truly forgotten their cultural heritage and are seeking it out even when they live overseas.
Although in traditional Chinese dancing the principles of art and spirituality have been intertwined, in the West this was the case initially, but the connection has been largely lost over the last few hundred years.
Yet judging by the audience's reactions to the Spectacular, the spark of divinity has most definitely been rekindled.
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