(Clearwisdom.net) Divine Performing Arts (DPA) presented the Chinese New Year Splendor at Prudential Hall in Newark, New Jersey on January 26, 2009. The audience was thoroughly captivated, enjoying each and every performance.

"I'm So Glad We Came!"

Anne Marie McCarthy, partner and executive manager of the Leader Newspapers located in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, attended the show with several of her friends, including Laurie Dodson, a photographer and watercolor artist.

When the reporter asked Ms. McCarthy which performance she liked best, she really found it hard to say. "Well, each one has its own flavor and the dancing was superb! Beautiful artists ... I don't know what to say--exactly which one... I loved the drums as well but I think the dancers, all of them, are spectacular!"

She continued, "I loved the messages across the screen and the effect of the figures going up to Heaven and so forth. Very nice, very, very well put together. Very nice, very nice! I'm so glad we came!"

Ms. McCarthy said she enjoys painting so she was particularly drawn to the hand and body movements of the dancers. "The hands are just--the hand motions--just everything ... every part of the dancer's body seems to say something. I enjoyed the movements of the hands, every movement of the body seems to have its own special message, which makes it very artistic. And I find it very peaceful, too."

She also liked the colors, saying, "They all seem to excite the senses. The colors are colorful, and the scenery in the background is very wonderful. But the colors that were used in the costumes, very nice."

When asked to comment on the music, she replied, "The music, the flutes are very nice. And the drums are just wonderful, the drums are just spectacular!"

She said she looked forward to traveling to China one day, saying, "That's on my list of things to do!"

"I Really Didn't Expect Anything Like This!"

Laurie Dodson told the reporter that the DPA show absolutely exceed her expectations. "No, it's not what I expected. We both said that. It's classical, it's more meditative and soft, very peaceful.

She continued, "I didn't expect it, I really didn't expect anything like this! It was beyond my expectations. And I would even see it again, and again."

Being a photographer and a watercolor artist, she was particularly drawn to the colors in the show. "And the costumes are beautiful! So I am really enjoying the colors. I paint flowers but I also enjoy painting other things. I am a photographer as well, so whatever I photograph I take and go through and paint."

She described the music and singing in the show as both "classical and spiritual."

"We liked the erhu but we liked the drums and the flutes. The singers are wonderful, both the male and the females. Both were excellent. We liked that very much. Actually, we are enjoying every aspect of the show," she said.

Ms. Dodson felt like the show was a wonderful introduction to China, saying, "If this show is about traditional Chinese culture, which is what you are saying it is, then we are exploring China by watching the show. You know, we haven't been there."

She concluded by saying, "Whoever did the choreography did a fantastic job. The dancers and the grace ... it's very graceful. This show is beautiful!"