Remaining True to Tradition

The amazing costumes of the Spectacular

By James Burke/Epoch Times Sydney Staff
Mar 17, 2007

Precision and grace- the Mongolian Bowl Dance

Along with the beautiful and soulful performances that make up New Tang Dynasty Televisions' (NTDTV) 2007 Chinese New Year Spectacular – the exquisite theatrical costumes captivated the audience at the Australian premier held in Brisbane on Saturday night.

"The costumes were one of the things I came to see," explained Susan Hutchinson, a librarian from Cooparoo.

"They were absolutely gorgeous," she said reflecting on the Mongolian Bowl Dance.

"It was lovely the way that the costumes lifted up when they were doing the kind of Cossack knee portion of it and you could see the whole costume from toe to head… It was multi-layered – very nice."

Snowy Mountain, White Lotus (The Epoch Times)

Gaye Polack from Capalaba said the costumes worn by the female dancers in Snowy Mountain, White Lotus worked in harmony with their elegant dance routine. "The clothes, together with the facial expressions, worked beautifully with the movement of the sleeves," she said.

"The pastel colours and the white showed purity, like virgins."

The dancer's long white sleeves are used to mimic the long pieces of cloth that are traditionally given in Tibet and Mongolia as a sign of respect.

Stephanie Apps, who works in the local film industry, said the costumes from that scene were outstanding and: "The combination of everything – music, movement and scenery – conveyed peace… The whole show is peaceful."

After several months of international touring, the Spectacular expressed how it was possible to incorporate detailed costumes that are traditional, beautiful and respectful while allowing for the physical vigour of dancing routines.

The costumes have been strictly guided, in style and even colour, by records gathered from ancient Chinese textbooks and paintings so as to be as accurate and as true to the source as possible.

The Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties had their own distinct cultures, which resulted in clothing that highlighted the characteristics of each of these periods.

When contrasted with other attire of other dynasties, the Tang Dynasty's clothing style is said to express a broad and profound spirit. It was a time of peace and prosperity – and reflecting this, the clothing worn in society was elegant and poised.

Ladies of the Manchurian Court (The Epoch Times)

In the opening performance of the Spectacular titled "Creation," a Buddha from the heavens reincarnates to become an emperor during the Tang Dynasty.

Sue Leclercq, a lecturer in dance with the University of Technology in Brisbane said: "The first act [was] lovely – very well presented, very professional; the dresses are beautiful and the presentation showed artistic flair."

One of the sources for the blueprint that went into designing many of the costumes was the frescoes from the Dunhuang cave, which is considered a treasure house of Chinese culture.

In these caves, paintings were added during each historical period, from the Southern and Northern dynasties to the Tang Dynasty. Many of the depictions of the characters from the paintings were typical of the clothing from each period of time.

Besides Dunhuang, the designers say they referred to sculptures, jade carvings and household utensils from ancient times.

Concerning the costumes in A Dunhuang Dream, Michael Scott, an Electrical Technician from Brisbane, said that the costuming was "quite spectacular".

"It's probably difficult because I'm sort of overwhelmed by the costuming all the way through [the whole show]."

Norman Wegner, a professional artist, said the costumes were marvellous.

"I admire the Chinese culture and in fact I paint Chinese 17th century ladies and men," said Mr Wegner. "In watercolour – I paint them in water colour. But, of course you can see by the costumes and all that – the costumes are so beautiful to paint."

"And the costumes – the gowns – and of course the dancers. Every aspect was so good," he said.

"I think it was wonderful for the Chinese community. The local Chinese – it's a wonderful thing for them to have come to them."