SYDNEY, Australia—One of the themes explored in the Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular was the concept of Yuan Fen — the karmic relationships that bind people and their actions through numerous lifetimes; one of the ingredients of fate.
For many attending performances of the Spectacular as it tours Australia, it could also be said this is one's of destiny. With a grandfather from Shanghai, and herself born in the then-Portuguese colony of Macau, it was heritage and ongoing interest in Chinese culture that saw Antoinette Manolakais attend Saturday night's Spectacular in Sydney.
"It's an amazing culture," said Mrs Manolakais, who moved to Australia in the 1970s.
Of the performances that stood out for her was the 'Mongolian Bowl Dance'. "The costumes were beautiful," she added.
For retail shop owner Kevin Tsui, originally from Hong Kong: "The music was very traditional and very nice. I always like this sort of show personally. The dance was pretty good too with the Chinese ballet. The drummers were excellent too."
Queenslander Andy Stewart's night with his Chinese wife at the Spectacular seemed out of 'chance' with the couple staying at the Holiday Inn hotel across the road from the Entertainment Centre, where the show was held. The couple were just down for the weekend and were handed a Spectacular flyer.
While he had visited China several times, Mr Stewart had not previously seen a Chinese show before.
"It was pretty good. It's a different sort of culture. I am from an English background. I've seen a few shows but never a Chinese show," he said.
For Mr Stewart, his favourite act was the 'Drummers of the Tang Court'.
The Tang drummers were also a highlight for Tais Borges, who read about the Spectacular via a newspaper and said she wanted to experience some Chinese culture.
"I like the way they had the [two] presenters and then you have the scene — I liked the style," she said.
Ms Borges also commented that the background projection added to the show and she enjoyed the interactive qualities that it brought to the performances.
Originally from Brazil, Ms Borges has lived in Sydney for four years.
Scott Su, originally from Canton (now known as Guangzhou) in the south of China, commented on the two dances highlighting the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.
"Those three actors [playing police] wearing the communist symbol should also have had handcuffs, but with five rings for the Olympics," he said.
"With [the Beijing] Olympics coming up, there is a lot of attention on human rights," he said after mentioning that he has some friends who practise Falun Gong. Mr Su left China in 1989.
For information about upcoming Divine Performing Arts shows, please visit:
www.BestChineseShows.com.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Chinese Spectacular. For our complete coverage please visit:
http://en.epochtimes.com/features/dpa2008/
Feeds