BRISBANE, Australia—Ian Rickuss, National Party State Member for Lockyer, and his wife Ann attended the VIP Reception and opening night of the Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular at the Brisbane Convention Centre on Monday April 7.
Mr Rickuss commented that it was a magnificent show: "It really is. The visual is stunning and it's a great blend of the ancient dance, and the ancient rituals, with modern technology in the background to give it a fuller depth…and the art that's on that background."
When asked what his favourite performance was, he said: "The dance…and I liked the baritone singer. He had a beautiful, a beautiful strong voice. So did the woman [soprano]. She had a lovely voice…the whole show has been outstanding. It really has been nice. And it is a good blend. And I think it actually shows you some of that true, ancient Chinese history and the gentle kindness of the Chinese people that comes from thousands of years of history."
Commenting on the costumes and the backdrop to the show, Mr Rickuss said: "Yes, it's all very, very nice. And it's good that you have such fluid English speakers to assist us Europeans to understand the background. It was very well put together."
Mr Rickuss enjoyed the historical myths and legends, saying: "I think it shows you some of the ancient history of China pre the communist domination. That's what I found very interesting…They were very nice, very nice indeed, so thank you very much.
"The amount of work for the timing that the dancers have put it, it must be virtually years of practice for that sort of skill and precision," he said.
Mrs Rickuss also commented: "This is a history that we've never been aware of, so that was interesting.
"Actually, the visual, the backdrop was magnificent — the costumes and the colour. My favourite one was the sea one ['Nymphs of the Sea']."
When asked what she thought Chinese culture brings to Australia, she said: "It brings a lot of history, a lot of history that we didn't know anything about because there was 5000 years of history. And it reminds me of the Ming Dynasty, the patterns and settings…it was great to see that. The body movements were very peaceful."
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/
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