(Clearwisdom.net) Divine Performing Arts (DPA) performed at the Overture Center for the Arts in Madison, Wisconsin before an enthusiastic audience. The performers answered two curtain calls as the audience enthusiastically applauded.

Among the audience was Professor Roberts, who teaches psychology and is the faculty director at a Wisconsin College. He brought with him a group of students.

"I see some historical influences of Buddhism's rise through India and up into China," said Professor Roberts.

Among Dr. Roberts's students was a young man, Mr. Chang, from mainland China. "It's interesting to see the classical Chinese dance. I think that the stories are pretty classical, too. I don't get to see this kind of show in China, so it's pretty good," said the young Chinese student.

"You don't get to see those representations in current Chinese culture because of the repressive aspect on religion," Dr. Roberts added. He was referring to the dance Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution that depicts the painful situation of the persecution of Falun Gong in China. Dr. Roberts appreciated the tremendous amount of work that went into show.

Discussing one of his favorite numbers, the fan dance, Dr. Roberts said, "I am impressed with how much work it must be to keep the wrists hardy moving. The fans were vigorously moving. That must have taken a lot of exercise, and it was so synchronized too."

Another student of Dr. Roberts said he thought that attending the show helped him gain a better understanding of Chinese culture.

Professor Sarmadi, who teaches at a major Midwestern college, said that he hopes to see more shows like DPA because the experience was enriching for him and his family.

Speaking of the performance, Dr. Sarmadi said, "I have seen shows in China, but this is spectacular." He mentioned in particular "the very difficult moves and very beautiful music. But at the same time, I really enjoyed learning about the history of China and why things are happening and why things are like that," he said. "So, generally it's a very beautiful show that the director has put together. I really am enjoying it. I hope we have more of this type of interaction coming to Madison."

Dr. Sarmadi was particularly moved by the dance Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution, which depicts the suffering experienced by an innocent family whose father is persecuted for practicing Falun Dafa, a traditional spiritual discipline.

Dr. Sarmadi felt the messages in the performances were important for the people of the world. "I really like the way the guy went to heaven, and the saint came and took him to heaven. That was very nice and powerful, a very strong message that at the moment there is a higher power, and no matter what you like to call that higher power, that power is very strong in all of our lives."

"Excellent, excellent!" exclaimed Mr. Quincy, who is an architect at the University of Wisconsin. "Beautiful colors, great staging and blocking. The forms of the stage are very dynamic. Visually, very interesting."

Commenting on the state of the art digital and painting backdrops of the show, he said, "Very, very dramatic. When they first started moving, I went--'the background's moving,' I wasn't expecting that. That was quite a shock. It's an interesting blend of the traditional and modern technology."

"The colors were beautiful! The movement is rhythmic and very relaxing," Mr. Quincy said. "It's energetic but not frantic. It's very nice!"

Mr. Quincy brought his sister to the performance. "This is a surprise for me!" exclaimed Ms. Quincy, who is an information technology engineer. "I love the colors and the musicians are fabulous. The music is wonderful. And the color combinations are so unusual and so enjoyable to the eyes!" Ms. Quincy concluded.

Mr. Evans, a director in the Wisconsin National Guard, and his wife, found the evening performance to have several messages. "I was very intrigued by the movements and the dance," Mr. Evans said. "I think the message is very well taken. The more that people understand each other the more that they will understand their similarities rather than differences. So, the difference becomes minimized and the possibility of enjoying each other for who we are becomes maximized."

His wife works with families as an Army Reserve volunteer. "I enjoyed the show very much, very beautiful. The message got across to enjoy everyone's culture. I used to be a dancer when I was very young, so I appreciated a lot of the dance," said Mrs. Evans. "The way they moved and the control that they had over their entire body and all of their muscles, it was just wonderful."

Mrs. Evans commented more on the dancing, "Very graceful, just beautiful. They just moved as one. It was very very nice. I have never seen anything like it."

Another message Mr. Evans takes with him is the aspect of "moving away from the heavy emphasis on materialism and more on looking at the pure enjoyment of life itself."

Source: http://theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/11938/ http://theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/11955/ http://theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/11928/ http://theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/11954/