(Clearwisdom.net) An enthusiastic standing ovation concluded Divine Performing Arts (DPA) final performance in Minneapolis as it swept the stage of the Northrop Memorial Auditorium this frigid Wednesday night. This was DPA's second tour in Minnesota.
Among the audience was Riet Velthuisen, the founder and director of the Continental Ballet Company. She is a native of Holland and has danced professionally with several European ballet companies, including the Dutch National Ballet, after studying classical ballet in Amsterdam, the Hague, and Paris. Ms. Velthuisen has choreographed numerous ballets for the Company, including Floret Silva, Proclaimation, Classe de la Danse, Bonae Fortunae, Cinderella, and the Nutcracker. In addition, she has staged and choreographed Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia and Paquita with a projected debut of Swan Lake in the spring.
"Oh, it's fantastic, it's amazing. I've never seen anything like
this--the costumes and the dancing. All the dancers are so intense; you can see
that they love it... with the backdrops and the projections, its
fantastic," said Mrs. Velthuisen when asked what she thought about the Spectacular.
Some of the backdrops are created from paintings. Others are digital, conjuring
stunning vistas of sprawling plains and majestic temples.
"This is so completely different from what I am doing, so I am watching not
only the dancing, but also the costumes and how it all [comes] together."
More than a hundred artists make up the New York-based production company.
"It's so original, so different. I do classical ballet, so for me, it is a
complete eye-opener. I have seen it [classical Chinese dance], but not onstage
like this.
"The lighting is beautiful. The choreography impressed me enormously--the
beautiful combinations and all that--it is amazing. And the dancers--they are
fantastic in the way they move. They still have the classical lines...so
beautiful. They all work together well. You feel it in the audience when there
is good communication between all the dancers."
She had a hard time picking out a favorite, "I liked the flowers very much,
[but] overall, I don't know which one to choose yet, because it is so much--it
is amazing how it all works out."
A full 40-member orchestra that combines a blend of Western and Eastern
composition and instruments accompanies the breathtaking performance.
"I told my husband that I would like to look at [the orchestra], because it
is so amazing--I'm wondering how big the orchestra is. It looks like a huge
orchestra--it's amazing, beautiful."
