(Clearwisdom.net) At 10:10 p.m. on February 10, 2008, accompanied by thunderous applause from a full-house audience, the Divine Performing Arts (DPA) company made its final curtain call of the last of its 15 shows performed at Radio City Music Hall in New York. The atmosphere in the 6,000-seat theater was lively and magnificent. DPA performed a total of 15 shows at Radio City since January 30 and was very popular, playing to a full-house in each of its last few shows.
The Divine Performing Arts company successfully completes its 15th show at Radio City Music Hall in NY (Dai Bing / The Epoch Times)
The New York Times a "big help"
During DPA's 15-show run, the New York Times published a misleading article about the Chinese New Year Splendor. After the publication of the article, however, the theater became more exuberant each day, and in the last few days of the show, every show enjoyed a full house. Many people said that the article aroused their curiosity and they wanted to see what the show was like for themselves.
The Show Receives Great Audience Feedback
Many people got to know about the show from their family members, friends or colleagues. Some of them enjoyed the show so much that they watched it a few times. Some Chinese tourists from mainland China bought tickets for the next show right after they finished watching it the first time.
Mr. Robert White, a vocal teacher at Juilliard School of Music, has sung for five U.S. Presidents. Mr. White watched a performance by the Divine Performing Arts company last year at the end of the NTDTV International Vocal Competition. On February 9, he invited 40 of his family members and friends to come to watch the show. Among them were John Corigliano, a world-renowned composer and winner of the Institute Award and Pulitzer Prize, Carlos Villa, former chief violinist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra; Mr. and Mrs. Rita, owners of the La Caravelle restaurant in New York, and well-known antique furniture dealer Carlie Berlin and his family of five.
Although Mr. White could not make it due to the flu, as well as a few others, those friends who came to watch the show spoke highly of the performances.
Mr. David Granger, Editor-in-Chief of Esquire, said he received the best "VIP reception" at the show.
Mr. White's friend David Granger, Editor-in-Chief of Esquire magazine (Dai Bing / The Epoch Times)
Mr. Todd Levitt, manager of a Ralph Lauren store, said, "I have never seen such a beautiful performance. It combines history and culture. Just brilliant! I would recommend it to everyone."
Douglas and Meilin are a couple in the real estate business from Long Island. They came to watch the show with good friends Mr. and Mrs. Maday from New Jersey. They had booked VIP seats two months earlier, but Mr. Maday felt a bit disappointed that he could not get the best seats he wanted. "I didn't expect that the good seats were gone even that early. You must have a full house tonight, right?"
Douglas (right) and his wife Meilin with friends Mr. and Mrs. Maday (Chen Dayin / The Epoch Times)
Quite a few people from Yale University came to watch the show, including Provost Dr. Andrew Hamilton and Professor Hugh Flick from religious studies. They both spoke highly of the show. They said that the whole campus knew about the show, and we need to let even more western people know about it.
Divine Performing Arts played to a full house of 6,000 on February 9 at Radio City (Dai Bing / The Epoch Times)
Lawyer Wang Weishan, a PhD graduate from the City College of New York, is from Hebei Province. On February 9, he brought his wife and child to watch the show. He said, "The standards were very high. I particularly liked the "Drummers of the Tang Court" and "Nymphs of the Sea." This show has presented the Chinese national culture to the world, and I feel very proud of our Chinese culture. This show is totally different from what we saw in China. I don't like that politicized stuff in China. Art is art, and should not be politicized. This show is about pure Chinese culture... It not only makes us Chinese people experience the profundity of the Chinese culture, but also promotes our Chinese culture to Western society, and helps them understand more about it. It is very good."
The Divine Performing Arts' orchestra (Dai Bing / The Epoch Tims)
Divine Performing Arts Heading for Asia and Europe
After finishing the show on February 9, Divine Performing Arts New York departed for Japan the same night, while the Divine Performing Arts Touring Company headed for Europe the next day.
