The magnificent multimedia dance theatre play Pearl, inspired by the life of writer Pearl S. Buck, premiered at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center Thursday night. This gorgeous, sweeping epic is directed and choreographed by Daniel Ezralow, whose resume includes such high profile productions as the Sochi Olympics Opening Ceremony, Across the Universe, and Spiderman Turn Off The Dark.

Blending Eastern and Western cultural influences, diverse dance styles--including ballet, jazz, modern, acrobatics and martial arts--and a beautiful score of original music composed by Jun Miyake, Pearl does a wonderful job celebrating the first American woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature and the Pulitzer Prize. Buck’s upbringing in China as the daughter of missionaries forms the basis of the narrative, which parallels the five concepts in a well-known Chinese poem: “Spring, River, Flower, Moon, Night.”

There is much to marvel at in this production, and no less are the technical aspects. Particularly, the use of water onstage to represent the Yangtze River proves continually awesome. A cat’s cradle of slack rope provides the backdrop to one stunning dance sequence. And then there are the images projected on panels, cloth, and giant urns throughout the show. These images of the Chinese landscape, letters coming out of the mind and typewriter of Buck, and projections of the dancers themselves as they morph and move between the panels are just some of the shows many rich layers.

However, it’s the dancing that takes center stage in Pearl, and the feats of physicality the 30-some Chinese and American dancers onstage perform is truly spectacular. Not enough can be said about the incredible talents of these performers, many of whom have impressive credits in television shows such as So You Think You Can Dance and Glee, music videos, Broadway, and stage shows of popular recording artists. Dancers twirl so fast it looks like they're on ice, aided by long, flowing costumes (Oana Botez) that look like additional appendages. They dazzle in pas de deux partners, twisting their bodies in interesting formulations.

Above all, Pearl is a celebration of Chinese culture and the woman who brought that culture to the west. It's a testament to the beauty, power and richness of the country and how literature, music and dance can channel that to audiences across the world.