Mongolian people certainly know how to have a good time. Topping off a traditional feast, the climax comes with the tea ceremony, when hosts and guests alike take to the floor and dance with bowls balanced on their heads.
Audience members have been treated to such a delight during the Divine Performing Arts tour of Australia as part of New Tang Dynasty Television's Chinese New Year Spectacular. Wearing immaculate, multi-layered blue, purple and white costumes ? courtesy of the Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission in Taiwan ? elegant ladies danced the routine for spell-bound guests.
"I thought it wonderful, absolutely incredible and beautiful," said Joanna Jensen from the Blue Mountains during interval of the Saturday matinee performance. "It was just so synchronized, it was beautiful."
"I thought it was just [symbolising] unity, the whole thing. I hadn't seen anything like that before. I had seen Tibetan dancers but that Mongolian dance was just beautiful."
Having previously performed in a dance by a Buddhist society, Cecilia Coucke from Coffs Harbour likened the bowl dance to others she had seen.
"One part of the dance when they were low, it was very reminiscent of the Cossak dance, only it was the women moving their legs when they were low." Although not totally like the Cossak, Ms Coucke said: "They were moving in a smooth way not in the stubborn manner of the Cossak."
"How clever they were to hold the bowl on their heads while they did all the movements and how smooth the steps were," Ms Coucke said.
Tanya Noonan from Wollongong instead recognised Middle-Eastern elements to the dance, saying it shows how much dance has spread across the world.
"I'd say that Genghis most probably rolled down the mountains into Turkey, and some of the gear they're actually wearing is like Middle-Eastern gear also," Tanya said during the interval of Friday night's show.
"Some of the bottom movements they're doing, and a few of the arms and the shimmy stuff [referring to Mongolian Bowl Dance shoulder movements] that's all Middle Eastern. "So that shows you how dance has spread and how dance is continuing across the world."
One can only wonder if all participants at Mongolian feasts exhibit the skill and poise of the Spectacular's dancers, or if, on the contrary, there are times when the hosts of the feast are left with the job of cleaning up a floor covered in broken porcelain.
However to the delight of the audience and fortunately for the Capitol Theatre cleaning crew, the ladies didn't drop a bowl.
"The skill was just so extraordinary," said Deanna Mastellone from Woollahra. "They were graceful and their costumes were so beautiful.
"I just think there's a lot of symbolism in a lot of the dances. Their culture is very rich.
"The symbolism and the rituals are very important, and not to be lost and to be cherished."
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