(Clearwisdom.net) The Wu Zi Chinese New Year falls on February 7, 2008. There were two Divine Performing Arts New Year Splendor shows scheduled that day at New York's Radio City Music Hall. Thousands watched this spectacular show to celebrate the New Year.
As the Splendor began, the host and hostess announced, "We are here to greet you with a happy New Year!" With the music helping the stories unfold, the audience was pulled into the stories, responding with laughter and tears.
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During the intermission, three western ladies wearing Chinese traditional clothing stood near the orchestra pit, talking about the performance. They are three sisters - Elaine Lehe, Morline O'Brien, and Barbara O'Brien Ahlern. They have celebrated the Chinese New Year together for the past twenty years, but today is the first time they attended the show on the New Year's day. The sisters were very excited and happy. Their first comments about the show were a heartfelt, "Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful."
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Ms. O'Brien said, "The music is beautiful. The colors are so spectacular. Somebody must have a wonderful imagination to be able to put all this together. It's so terrific, we enjoyed every moment. I think the thousands of people in the audience feel the same - you could ask each one of them. They have to have enjoyed it."
Ms. Lehe said, "The stories are beautiful, with a lot of history and culture. It is nice for those who may not be familiar with Chinese history and culture. This [show] brings the whole world together; it brings the cultures together. It is very lovely."
Ms. Lehe told the journalist that her favorite number was the dance, "Nymphs of the Sea." When asked why, she replied, "Maybe because we like water. We relate to water, because we come from Long Island. We are surrounded by water, so we naturally gravitate towards water."
She added, "We are going to Chinatown after this. We're going to do a little celebrating down there, find something to eat, and then we will have our own Chinese New Year Party. We celebrate every year. My sister made outfits with the Chinese Dragon, and the lion......We love Chinese Culture."
The journalist was curious why they love Chinese culture so much. Ms. Lehe explained, "When I was a young girl, I worked for a Chinese family at a Chinese restaurant. We became very close to that family. They always celebrated Chinese New Year, and we just kept the tradition, in their honor."
Ms. O'Brien continued, "My last name, O'Brien, is Irish. We are really Irish and German, but we love Chinese culture. The Chinese entertainment on TV cannot compare with Divine Performing Arts' show. The training, the dedication of the dancers and musicians, we appreciate it..." Ms. O'Brien was moved to tears as she was talking. "I get very emotional. It couldn't be any better... wonderful."
"We are very impressed with show. It's the the best of the best. There is nothing around like it."
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Barbara O'Brien Ahlern added, "The outfits we're wearing were made by my sister many years ago. We wear them every year. It is also in honor of our mother who died a couple of years ago. She really integrated our culture with oriental culture, taught us the customs of oriental culture. We just love it."
Ms. Ahlern said that another great thing about the show was that it takes one's mind off everyday concerns and distractions. "It really gives a great deal of peace, not just to me, but to the thousands of people in the audience. It is really a wonderful experience. We thank you for it!"