The Expo 2010 Shanghai is as much a celebration of creativity and innovation as anything else, as highlighted here by street performer Steve Cousins of Australia. [Photo by Zhou Ke / Xinhua]

He said he fell in love with balloons as a young child.

"When I was 2 years old, the first drawing I ever made was of a balloon. I was fascinated with them. Now I see balloons as a symbol of innocence."

Cousins, who is performing in China for the first time, said he made several adjustments to his show to reel in the Chinese audience, such as adding explanations in Mandarin.

"My music tells a lot of the story, and it explains what I am doing. I think a lot of people here didn't recognize the music because it was in English. So something was getting lost in translation," he said. "I now have an introduction about my superhero being silly, which makes people smile."

To better entertain the audience and deal with the language barrier, Cousins introduced more physical gestures into his performance.

He said he plans to write a book about his journey traveling the world with balloons.

"It will be a book of pictures," said Cousins. "What I am enjoying doing is meeting people in their natural habitat, such as in the market or a village, so I'd like to take what I do to them."

China Daily

(China Daily 10/15/2010)