Taiji wows with variety

Photo provided to China Daily

The thinly plotted story line of a global traveler is a nice touch, especially when the role is played by Chinese-American Isaac Hou, who pulls off some of the most crowd-pleasing acts in the show such as "the Universe Ring" and "the Magic Crystal Ball".

For those who have not seen him on TV and have a seat to the back of the house, a live video projection of his close-up could have accentuated the wow effect.

Other than this narrative framework, the show has as much story as Cats the musical, with no singing of course. The incorporation of dance, tai chi and acrobatics is almost seamless. The 24 teenage disciples from Shaolin Tagou Education Group are energetic and competent as martial-arts wallflowers, but it is the principal players highlighted in each scene who are the true stars.

These include He Chao who performs the rapid change of face masks, Wei Wei who contorts her body into amazing forms, Wu Changzhen and Kong Qian-qian who fly through the air on a rope, and Qing Fengzi who walks on a narrow and rotating platform protruding high into the audience, without a safety net or wire rigging.