(Continued from Part 1: http://clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2008/3/30/95905.html )
(Clearwisdom.net) Divine Performing Arts of New York's Chinese Spectacular was recently staged in Taipei, where it attracted people from diverse walks of life, and even had fans traveling from Hong Kong, hoping to catch this remarkable experience.
Li Xuemei, an ethnic dance instructor and three-time winner of dance competitions, and her husband Lu Zhenxiang, both born in Taiwan and who now live in Australia, said that they were deeply moved by the Spectacular because the Divine Performing Arts presented unadulterated, authentic Chinese dance. "The dancers shined with the power of physical and inner strength, and the different performances conveyed the message of good overcoming evil and the importance of standing up for justice. This is very inspiring and impressed us tremendously."
Li Xuemei, an ethnic dance instructor, and her husband Lu Zhenxiang
The couple also said, "We've realized that the Divine Performing Arts has presented an artistic feast based on historic tales and folklore, ethnic traits and customs and religious belief, incorporating classical Chinese music. It was an exemplary performance based on the culture and history of China, and had such great props and costumes!"
Chen Muyu, a professional painter who saw the Divine Performing Arts last year, says the Spectacular "...embodies the essence of Chinese and Western art traditions spanning ancient and modern times." More importantly, the Spectacular, "...has soul and profound meaning. It combines education with entertainment and promotes traditional Chinese culture and values, thereby distinguishing itself from contemporary performing arts--a very difficult thing to do nowadays."
Chen is the winner of the 20th Wu Sanlian Award, and he is also a member of the Art Collections Reviewing Committee and the Exhibition Application Reviewing Committee at both the Taipei Museum of Fine Arts and the Kaohsuing Museum of Fine Arts, as well as serving as a juror for the Nanying Fine Arts Exhibition.
Mr. Chen said, "The Chinese have always instilled values such as loyalty, filial piety, and propriety through opera, as a way to maintain moral standards and unite the society. Unfortunately, nowadays the performing arts no longer serve this purpose, so it really is a pleasant surprise to see the Divine Performing Arts ignite the torch once again."
After a brief pause, he added, "Beautiful things always grab people's attention. Therefore it's far more effective to present morality through an attractive show of sight and sound than through rigid indoctrination." He also predicted that the global tour would have an enormous impact. "By making annual visits to Taiwan, the Divine Performing Arts has become a gradual but consistent, if not immediately apparent, force of influence in the local literature and art circles."
Huang Chunyuan, director of Firefly Studio, a renowned film and television production company in Taiwan, shared his excitement, "I'm so glad I brought my family to the Spectacular. I've watched Chinese opera for years and years, and I've made movies with traditional themes, but the Spectacular has proven to be a very unique experience. The content was absolutely fabulous! Next year, I'll bring more friends to the show!"
Huang Chunyuan, director of Firefly Studio, a film and TV production company in Taiwan
Huang said that the Spectacular presented legends that are well known to anyone familiar with Chinese culture. It has special significance because the show invites people to reflect on themselves in a chaotic world where moral corruption runs rampant.
"Every culture has its own characteristics, and China has its own traditions. What's important is that innovation must base its roots in tradition! The Divine Performing Arts operates on a multi-media platform and combines superb costume design and original music with amazingly skilled dancers, and each piece leaves ample room for imagination."
He said that the drumming in both the first and second half of the performance was breathtaking because in his opinion, the drum is a symbol of the staunch Chinese spirit. As for the mention of Falun Gong in some of the songs' lyrics, he thought they were quite inspirational and said that people should learn about the facts regardless of their current perspective.
When discussing the dance, "The Fruits of Goodness," Huang said everyone had kind thoughts, and the dance encourages young people to never overlook slight yet precious good thoughts within their hearts. In this score, two boys were enlightened by Buddha after they performed a simple act of reverence. Huang said, "...it sends the message that one does not have to do great deeds but instead act on small, good thoughts!"
Yan Sun-kong, chairman of China Human Rights Forum in Hong Kong, flew to Taiwan on March 18 just to catch the final show of the Spectacular in the area. He said, "What I've seen today was nothing short of miraculous! The dances and songs are of the highest caliber. However, what really takes precedence are the underlying implications, when you watch a vivid presentation of famous stories hand plucked from China's 5,000-year history."
Yan Sun-kong, chairman of China Human Rights Forum
Yan elaborated further by saying, "Modern dance shows focus on fancy techniques and individual freedom, and overlooks the plethora of wonderful myths and legends from our long history that are positive, that would help steer us toward the right path.
"Even if you were just coming to see art, you would still be satisfied, but in fact what you take away is a lot more than that, which is what makes the Spectacular so special."
Yan also felt the Spectacular gave hope. He believes that although life is imperfect or even at times filled with trials and tribulations, one will do well in the end as long as one clings to hope.
Yan enjoyed "The Risen Lotus Flower," which depicts a Falun Gong practitioner being taken to the heavens by celestial maidens after being beaten to death. He said this world is awash with unexpected incidents, but as long as one perseveres without fear, then life will continue with one's spirit largely unscathed. He believes that the program gives the audience hope for a bright future and a marvelous state of existence.
Yan Sun-kong was sorry that the Divine Performing Arts did not schedule a show in his home city of Hong Kong, but at the same time, he said that interference from the Chinese Communist Party was likely if such a show was scheduled. He gave hearty congratulations, however, when he learned that the DPA would return to Korea for five more shows.
