Among the many Melbourne residents from all walks of life attending the Spectacular were some health professionals. Their vocation in life is to make people feel better and at the Regent Theatre this weekend they received the best dose of remedy possible.
As she emerged from the auditorium, registered nurse Mrs Glynis Cacavas was positively ecstatic about the performances she had just witnessed.
"It was just wonderful...It was stunning! I liked the Mongolian dance, I liked the opening, the ending. I liked the dance with the platform shoes. It was just fabulous – the whole thing. It was just beautiful."
Glynis's husband Tolly is a social worker with a Greek background who candidly admitted: "I know zero about Chinese culture, but I can relate to it through the costumes and the music because they have some similarities to traditional Greek costumes and music."
Mr Cacavas also pointed out: "All these different nations and different cultures, old and new, share a lot of things in common. I think it's something we should know more about."
He said that although the Greeks have an ancient culture it was like a newborn baby compared to the Chinese. "We could be here for months watching eons of Chinese culture on stage and it would still be fascinating."
He appreciated the spiritual dimension of the Spectacular observing: "Unfortunately, a lot of ancient culture is lost. The generations of today are so tied up with earning a buck and I think it's important that they go back to some of these basics and look at their own identity and where they've come from."
In addition, he though it was important that the Spectacular touched on social issues such as human rights abuses in China today so that more members of the public could be aware of such issues. He said: "Nights like tonight, through the music and dances, really bring issues like the persecution of Falun Gong to life."
Mrs Cacavas said she now wished she had brought some of her friends and relatives, as well as her own daughters, to the show, but beforehand she had not really known what to expect. However, she would certainly be bringing them all next year to see "the culture, the costumes, the pageantry – it was an absolutely wonderful night," she declared.
The Epoch Times is proud to join with New Tang Dynasty TV and Sound of Hope Radio in co-sponsoring NTDTV's Chinese New Year Spectacular ( http://shows.ntdtv.com. )
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