Sitting with an inner calm next to a window overlooking a clothesline of Chinese lanterns bobbing in the wind, Guo Xiu, tour manager of Divine Performing Arts dance company, said she was glad to bring a very special Chinese New Year show to London.
The dance team dined their first meal in a plum-blossom coloured restaurant room overlooking London's China town immediately after arriving on Thursday.
On Friday they will launch their first show to a near sold out audience in the capital's Royal Festival Hall, one of the most premier cultural venues in the country.
The Divine Performing Arts on Tour are half way through a tour of Europe which has already seen them perform to theatres in Duisburg, Frankfurt and the Hague.
After the final performance on Sunday, the team, of over a hundred members including support staff and orchestra members, will set off for Paris, then to Geneva, Antwerp and Vienna. A separate team are currently touring Asia.
Ms Guo said: "We will demonstrate the very best of the culture which we are so proud of.
"We try to bring consummate goodness and beauty with all of our shows.
"Our programme comes from historical tales and pays respect to Heaven and Earth. Every Chinese person who comes from the same origin will appreciate these arts – which are so pure and demonstrate the beauty in our heritage."
MC for the show, Leeshai Lemish, who originally hails from New York but studied in London for two years as a student, said he was thrilled that the show would be held in the city he had come to love.
"London is the cultural capital of the world. Everyone is really excited to be here.
"It's been wonderful to be in Europe. We got to go to Europe last year but we only visited two cities. It's great to see more of Europe, the cultures are so diverse from place to place.
"The people have been so friendly and so receptive. Europeans are really cultured in theatre and the arts and can really appreciate what they are watching."
The team retired early after their meal to their hotel to rest for the shows ahead. A fresh breeze blew through China Town as the long lines of lanterns bobbed a farewell.
For information about upcoming Divine Performing Arts shows, please visit: www.DivinePerformingArts.org.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Chinese Spectacular. For our complete coverage please visit: http://en.epochtimes.com/features/dpa2008/
Feeds