But if you shoot for the lowest common denominator, there's only so far you can go before the public feels betrayed.

Let's divide the audience not by artistic inclination, but by geography.

The domestic audience is big, but the overseas audience will be bigger. However, those outside China tend not to be discriminating.

Give them a little bit of Peking Opera, a little bit of acrobatics, and plenty of lantern and dragon dance, and they'll come away happy - as long as the numbers are well choreographed and produced.

It's the 1.3 billion inside China who are spoilt. We have been drowning in a sea of kitschy folk art and we yell for something new.

Yet, like the proverbial Lord Ye who dreams of a dragon, when changes descend upon us, we're invariably annoyed and frightened.

We are at once the innovation-demanding Dr Jekyll and the extremely complacent Mr Hyde.

Besides, how do you make abstract the look of the 56 ethnic groups? You can substitute the panda for the dragon, the Temple of Heaven for the Great Wall, Shaolin kungfu for acrobatics, but you cannot give up every symbol.

The best way is fusion - the fusion of Chinese fundamentals and more contemporary expressions.

The wildly popular Thousand Handed Bodhisattiva, choreographed by Zhang Jigang, a principal member of the creative team for the opening ceremony, is a good benchmark. It is very traditional, yet very modern at the same time. The use of hands in a geometric fashion is clever as abstract visuals.

Zhang Yimou may never have heard of the name Busby Berkeley, but aesthetically he is a disciple of the Hollywood choreographer who wowed with his visually stunning shapes and forms made up of constantly changing human bodies.

The best numbers from Zhang's Impression-series open-air stage shows are suggestive of the same style.

Zhang is not known for favoring modern dance, and neither are any of China's leaders, whose approval is probably needed for such a high-profile project.

But they won't mind a smattering of modern abstractness as an injection of freshness.

Furthermore, the Athens Games had a heavy dose of avant-garde choreography. The best way to beat it is by taking a different route, not to hit it on their point of strength.

Always remember that artistic value may not be the highest criterion, but mass appeal surely will be.

(China Daily July 11, 2008)