(Clearwisdom.net) Drawing a full house and rave reviews, the Divine Performing Arts New York Company, on its international tour, presented the final show of the Chinese Spectacular in Kaohsiung Taiwan on March 8, 2008. Audience members from all walks of life, different backgrounds, and from circles of art, education and medicine, etc., praised the Chinese Spectacular as a grand feast of traditional Chinese culture, a performance of pure kindness and pure beauty. Many said the show cleanses and purifies one's heart and soul, and brings people not only enjoyment of beauty, but also inspiration on the meaning of life.
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Deputy-magistrate of Pingtung County: Divine Performing Arts worth being spread still further
Deputy-magistrate of Pingtung County Chung Chia-bin attended the Divine Performing Arts performance last year in Kaohsiung, and brought his seven-year-old son to the fifth show of the Chinese Spectacular on March 8 this year at the Kaohsiung County Labor Recreation Center. Mr. Chung thought the Divine Performing Arts performance was even more wonderful, and conducive to educating peoples' hearts and uplifting culture.
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After seeing the show, Mr. Chung said in an interview that the exquisite culture that the Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular presented was worth promoting and spreading still further. He found every performance to be excellent, particularly the Mongolian dance "Chopstick Zest," which brought the masculine strength into full play.
What impressed him the most was seeing the young performers perform wholeheartedly, with great dedication. He was also amazed at vocalist Hong Ming's singing. He said that listening to his singing made him feel lofty and energetic.
Mr. Chung believes it is helpful for children's growth to attend such a top-class performance.
College Director's Secretary: Divine Performing Arts should be carried on and take root in [young generations]
Lin Chun-ying, secretary of the director at the National Kaohsiung Hospitality College, attended the Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular with her eldest son, who had just returned from abroad with the tickets presented by the president of her college, who had planned to come but had to cancel. Ms. Lin said the cultural performance carried so much profound meaning that was beyond her expectations. She thought the show would be like ordinary dance performances, which were not so educational.
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Ms. Lin said, "I thought the show was really fantastic! Actually some grass-roots education teachers should come to see it. I think the show can really open up pupils, high school students, because we are lacking in education on traditional culture."
Ms. Lin said she was amazed by every performance, and what impressed her most were the two performances "Drummers of the Tang Court," and "The Loyalty of Yue Fei." She said, "I thought the dance 'Drummers of the Tang Court' was really fabulous! So powerful. Also Yue Fei in the dance drama 'The Loyalty of Yue Fei,' I was amazed by the two performances. The strength and beauty in the dance, I thought this group of young performers presented them so well."
The story of Yue Fei is well-known among people. Ms. Lin said children must have read about this story, but she did not know if the story was included in present text books. She feels that through the performance, children will gain deep impressions, and will take in, understand, and remember it for their whole lives.
Director of Art and Culture Center: Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular is a grand performance carrying cultural connotations, and should be presented quite often
Shie Chi-liang, director of Ci-En Art and Culture Center in Kaohsiung, brought his wife Lin Chin-ying, who is also a painter, and their youngest daughter to attend the finale performance of the Chinese Spectacular in Kaohsiung. They are accomplished artists and have held several painting exhibitions. They shared their impression of the Divine Performing Arts.
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Ms. Lin is an art teacher, and learned folk dance when she was young. She also studied dance from veteran dancer Liu Feng-hsue during her time at the university, so she is a keen observer of artistic performance. Ms. Lin was especially fond of several ethnic folk dances in the Chinese Spectacular, including, "Snowy Mountain, White Lotus," which expresses the Tibetan young ladies' purity and liveliness, "Chopstick Zest," which expresses young Mongolian men's bold and unconstrained characters and free spirit, and "Ladies of the Manchu Court," which presents the ladies' slow but gentle movements. Each dance has its own flavor and characteristics, coupled with costume design, and use of color, which presents a dynamic and pleasant picture to the viewer.
Ms. Lin thought the choreography was very well thought out, and that there was an orderly arrangement in terms of regions and times, guiding the audience to travel through time and space from the Han nationality in the central plains to the Mongolian and Tibetan nationalities at the frontier, from ancient myths and legends to the great Tang Dynasty, Song and Qing dynasties. It presented the spirit of preserving differences in the Chinese culture by such an art form. Ms. Lin felt the two-hour Chinese Spectacular presentation was a very beautiful feast for the soul. After seeing the show, she found herself to be in high spirits.
Mr. Shie Chi-liang is director of the Ci-En Art and Culture Center in Kaohsiung City. He is also a member of several Painting Associations and promoter of the Civil Art Gallery in Kaohsiung City.
Mr. Shie was taken aback by the opening scene of the Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular, the Buddha's paradise veiled in mist suddenly gave him an impression of being out of this world. The momentum of the entire scene and the costume colors were also impressive. The couple were also both amazed by the tenor's singing.
What Mr. Shie liked the most were the two drum performances, which were full of masculine strength. The dance "Drummers of the Tang Court" was powerful, expressing the Chinese people's incredible perseverance. The finale, "Resounding Drums" raised the audience's emotions to a peak, and then suddenly stopped, leaving an impression of being simply not enough.
Mr. Shie said that the two-hour show was a purification of the soul, and that he had learned many things, and felt it very worthwhile. He said this large-scale performance containing cultural connotations presented by the Divine Performing Arts is rarely seen in Kaohsiung. He feels it should be held quite often and would be helpful for cultural uplifting in the southern area.
At the show's conclusion, Shie Meng-san, who is a fifth grade student at an elementary school, walked out of the theater with her parents. Her father praised her for watching all performances attentively. She commented that the performers had solid basic fundamentals, the costumes were beautiful, and the performance was lively and appealing to her. Her favorites were the dance dramas such as "The Loyalty of Yue Fei," because they had historical background and were easy to understand.
Manager of an Electronics Company: The lyrics have profound meaning
Mr. Lee Ming-che, manager of the Department of Measurement at the Kaohsiung Hitachi Electronics Co. Ltd. attended the Chinese Spectacular and said he liked the dance "The Loyalty of Yue Fei" the most. He thought it was rare and impressive to have such a performance that can uplift morality in today's society. He said that not many people in this chaotic society vow to serve their country, and the young people in particular, who know little about the definition of the country, should come to see the show.
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He continued by saying that the fundamental culture that has been passed down in China contains loyalty and filial piety. Taiwan is in chaos, and we should rediscover the lost ethics and morality. A performance like this, that can purify the heart and soul, should be promoted and everyone should come to see it. The Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular left a deep impression on him in this regard.
Mr. Lee also mentioned soprano Huang Biru's solo "May You Understand" and baritone Qu Yue's solo, "Truth Alone Sets You Free." He said the lyrics of the songs were very good, and can truly guide people in a good direction. He said that everyone should listen to them more often, and the meaning of the lyrics should be promoted to help people quickly find the truth.
Wife of Health Bureau Director: Divine Performing Arts lead Chinese art to ascend to another level
Ms. Huang Yu-ling, wife of the Health Bureau director, Kang Chi-chie, and dean of the Percussion Teaching Center in Pingtung Kindergarten attended the show and said, "Worth coming to! The performance was really exquisite and special, very moving!"
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Ms. Huang said in an interview that Chinese art has developed to such an extent that is exceptionally commendable. "Be it the musical part or dance part, they combined classical elements and modern technology, and were very exquisite. I felt so great and impressed. I will make it a reference for our band's performance in future."
She said that in the dances "The Loyalty of Yue Fei" where Yue Fei's mother tattooed four Chinese characters meaning "Be loyal to the country" and "Lady of the Moon," where Hou Yi shot down the nine suns, they both incorporated historical stories, leaving deep impressions on children. She hoped the wonderful performance of the Divine Performing Arts New York Company can lead Chinese art to uplift further.
She said she hoped more of her friends would have an opportunity to experience such a rich feast for the soul next year.
Deputy Director of China Steel Corp: Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular points out that it is very important to have compassion in one's heart
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Chiang Yi-chang, deputy director of China Steel Corp., attended the finale of the Chinese Spectacular by the Divine Performing Arts in Kaohsiung on March 8, 2008, at the recommendation of his colleague. Mr. Chiang thought the show gave people a refreshing impression in this chaotic time. It is the highest-caliber performance that he has even seen, and he plans to recommend the show to his friends.
The dance performances "Lightness and Grace," "The Loyalty of Yue Fei" and "Drummers of the Tang Court" left a deep impression on Mr. Chiang. He said he wanted to tell later generations about such a touching story in history and also hopes that the story will inspire the next and future generations. The Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular presentation also made him realize how important it is to have compassion in one's heart.