"Dancing is a magical tool," said a former freelance journalist and linguistics teacher Panayiotta Kai after watching the second performance of the New Tang Dynasty Televisions (NTDTV) in Australia's second-largest city of Melbourne.
Ms Kai, who speaks nine languages and currently teaches Chinese in primary school, explains that the show has not only "superb" costumes, movement and colour, but also a deeper cultural message.
"No matter what background or profession one is from, there is always some degree of Chinese cultural influence," she says. "Sometimes, we may not even realise it ourselves." "I feel I relate to the Chinese culture not only historically but it is also a part of our lives…to bring history through dance," explains Ms Kai.
Is it true to say that these silent oriental traits have found their way into our lives? Perhaps. How many of us have a set of chopsticks at home, or like to enjoy steamed dumplings or even fancy oriental wok cooking?
For herself, Ms Kai's past experiences have become the foundation to forming a connection to the Spectacular. The Mongolian dance, where the dancers' mastery is a matter of balance (literally as the entire act is done with balancing bowls on the heads), reminded Ms Kai of her lecturer at university, who was also Mongolian.
The ability to read Chinese characters on the background set also gave her a boost, as she was again reminded of her own linguistic talents.
Film-maker and writer Kathleen O'Gorman remarked on the show's dancing saying "If I were a Chinese person I would understand the movements of hands and shape of body. "I didn't know that but I appreciated it very, very much - there was great unison in their movements and great rhythm in their movements."
Ursula Blake co-owner of the Blake School of Music said "It is the way they depict the feminine and the masculine. The women are very, very pretty and feminine whereas the men are all very masculine. It came across very strongly to me. Another connection for me was a past life one - that I had been an advisor to the Chinese Emperor in a past life."
For dentist Dr David J. McNeill and his wife Adele they both agreed that the dancing was incredible. Dr McNeill was very enthusiastic about the whole show and in particular the Manchurian ladies dancing. He said he would like to see it all again. He really understood from watching this show why the Chinese communist regime saw the spiritual practise Falun Gong as subversive because of their belief in truth and freedom of expression which is not in line with the communist ideology.
Adele recalled their experience of visiting China before the Tiananmen Square massacre. She said that she could see the poverty and the suffering behind the façade of wealth. "I was embarrassed by the importance given to us - being driven around in a limousine and being put at the front of queues – I felt very uncomfortable."
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