In Soundless by blind dancer Zhang Ti anjiao. [Photo by Li Xuemin/chinadaily.com.cn]

But if Thousand-hand Bodhisattva was the show's undisputed visual climax, it's perhaps In Soundless that proved the afternoon's most stirring moment. The solo dance by Zhang Tianjiao, about an aspirant ballet dancer's perseverance and triumph, is one of the recent additions to the troupe's repertoire.

Zhang took the stage in a black tutu, where she strutted and pranced, with such tender vibrancy that her slender shape, glorified in an expressive self-designed choreography, presented the revival's most potent symbol of human beauty and vitality. Such was her unabashed confidence that in the few seconds of a three-spin pirouette she seemed to completely cast off life's imperfections. A fleeting illusion indeed, but an unforgettable triumph shared with her audience.

By the end of the two-hour show, the thunderous applause was perhaps the best reward to the troupe's artists, even though not all of them could hear the cries of "Bravo!", nor see the audience's beaming smiles. But as the night's opening song said:

I know you are right here,

Right here with me.