Mr. and Mrs. Wessun (The Epoch Times)

Seeing the Divine Performing Arts Chinese New Year Spectacular at San Francisco's War Memorial Opera House on Friday was an unforgettable experience for Mr. and Mrs. Wessun.

"The dances were incredible," said Mr. Wessun, a banker, after the show.

"It was all very good--beautiful costumes."

Mr. Wessun said the mix of folk dances and dances with story lines offered the audience emotional variety throughout the show.

"You have the folks dancing, which was very lively, and the sad stories, so you get different emotions throughout the entire program," he said.

"The one story with the father that was killed was very sad, but it was all very well done. The mixture of video with the live actors was very impressive."

The dance "Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution" tells the tale of a father who is persecuted for practicing Falun Gong. It presents a message of hope and a belief that good people are ultimately rewarded, even if not in this lifetime.

Divine Performing Arts takes its inspiration from 5,000 years of Chinese civilization. Many of the dances depict myths and legends from China's rich cultural history. The company also uses an innovative animated backdrop that gives each dance a living setting.

"I think the MCs did a very good job with the Chinese and the English, so you feel very much a part of the show."

"The history, the stories, are really wonderful. It's just a lesson in Chinese history," said
Mrs. Wessun.

"I was so impressed with the beauty of the costumes and the grace of the dancers."

She also said that she was surprised to see how much spirituality there is in traditional Chinese culture, a spirituality that is reflected throughout the country's rich history and performing arts.

"I just couldn't help trying to see why they Communist government tried to oppress this because of the spirituality. I didn't realize that there was this much spirituality in Chinese history. I kept thinking on how all this beauty was suppressed for all these years and that they are bringing this back.

"I am so impressed with the thousands of years that the Chinese have had this culture--this is just amazing. I am very excited to read about Chinese history."

According to the show's official program: "The guiding mission of Divine Performing Arts is to rediscover and renew humanity's true, rightful cultural heritage. The company thus creates and performs works that center upon the true, divinely bestowed culture of humankind, and seeks to provide an experience of consummate beauty and goodness."

Divine Performing Arts will present its final show in San Francisco on Sunday and four more show at the Flint Center in Cupertino Tuesday through Thursday.