(Clearwisdom.net) On the evening of August 10, 2008, Divine Performing Arts put on a rich cultural feast at the New Jersey State Theatre in New Brunswick, New Jersey, mesmerizing nearly a thousand audience members, including competitors who took part in the second NTDTV International Chinese Vocal Competition. The competitors were moved by the pure compassion and pure beauty of the performance.
The performance was staged on the same evening of the final round of the second New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV) International Chinese Vocal Competition. Artistic Director of Divine Performing Arts, Ms. Vina Lee said, "It can be seen as a special gift for all participants in the competition."
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Bronze Award Winner of Bel Canto Male Division: Divine Performing Arts is pure, truthful and righteous
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UK contestant Duoji Zhaxi (Zang nationality) won the Bronze Award in the second NTDTV International Chinese Vocal Competition. He attended the Divine Performing Arts performance and praised it as fabulous, very professional, pure and truthful. He felt that the orchestra was terrific. He said, "The blend of Western and Chinese music sounds especially good. Traditional Chinese musical instruments blend with Western instruments, which is very soft and gentle."
He said that he had seen performances by folk music orchestras and folk dance troupes when he was in China, but Divine Performing Arts was different. He felt it was rich in righteousness, that is, an awe-inspiring righteousness.
Duoji Zhaxi said, "Mr. Guan's (Assistant Company Manager of Divine Performing Arts's touring company and celebrated tenor Guan Guimin) singing has been widely known in China. His voice is the same as it was before. Also that alto singer (referring to alto singer Yang Jiansheng) [was very impressive]. I'm a singer, but I have never heard such an excellent alto, nor did I see such a brilliant alto in China."
Bronze Award Winner of the Folk Singing Male Division: First-class performance
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Taiwanese contestant Yiji Dadao won the Bronze Award in the Folk Singing Male Division. He said, "The Divine Performing Arts performance was fantastic! Very moving. The dance movements were complex, but the performers danced in sync. I felt it was superb. Each performance was appealing.
"The most moving dance performance was 'The Risen Lotus Flower.' The reason that it moved me is the vitality displayed in the performance." He continued, "It's a first-class performance, the programs are noble. Singers are brilliant. I've learned a lot from them, their way of singing and techniques. I really enjoyed it!"
Winner of Honorable Mention Award in the Bel Canto Male Division: I was moved to tears while watching the dance performance "Power of Awareness"
Winner of the Honorable Mention Award in the Bel Canto Male Division, Jason Fuh, said, "It was the first time for me to watch a performance by Divine Performing Arts. The design of the whole performance was wise, and several performances were very moving. I have not had any personal experience with Falun Gong, yet from the dance performance 'Power of Awareness,' I saw the maltreatment they have suffered. I was moved to tears. The story was very good. Without words, through dancing, it was presented to the audience. I could feel how it was in the beginning and how it will be in the end. I have been looking forward to listening to these singers. Today I actually feasted my ears. They sang out the belief in their hearts. It is real feeling, which is very important."
Opera Singer: I give the performance 1,000 points
Christie Desir is an opera singer from Haiti, who performs throughout the world. She said, "I liked the coordination and cooperation of the whole performance. Each dancer's movements coordinated precisely with the rhythm [of the music]. I give the performance 1,000 points."
She said, "I like water, I like water's peace and serenity. In the dance, 'Nymphs of the Sea,' the blue water and rocking waves were my favorites."
Director of Chinese Culture Center of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York: Divine Performing Arts is conducive to improving Chinese people's image and cultural position
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Chinese Culture Center of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York director Lu Yuan-rong said that he was glad to have been able to see such a highly-skilled professional performance. He said that the spread of Chinese culture overseas relies on the efforts of a group of artists with outstanding artistic attainment.
He added that the choreography of the dances was innovative, and the dance, "The Risen Lotus Flower" was inspiring. He said he could feel that the performers were full of enthusiasm. They presented their ideals and love through body language and rendition of music and dance, and achieved a perfect effect. He believed that the performers must have gone through intense training, with the guidance of good teachers and their vigorous enthusiasm, and therefore achieved such a good effect.
Mr. Lu also commented that the singers were truly professional. They conveyed the enthusiasm in their hearts to every audience member present.
He said that the coordination of the orchestra and dance performances was excellent. Music and dance do not have national boundaries, he said. He believes that such a cultural exchange, introducing the excellent Chinese civilization to the mainstream society in the United States, is very conducive to improving Chinese people's image as a whole, including their cultural position in the U.S. He congratulated these outstanding artists.
Former teacher at Northeast University in China, Liu Guohua: The more you listen to it, the more you will feel its beauty, the more you listen to it, the more you will feel comforted
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After attending the performance by Divine Performing Arts, former teacher at Northeast University in China, Liu Guohua said, "My comment is that it is a divine culture and divine art. Each sound is pleasant to the ear and every detail is cohesively interwoven and right on the beat. The performance was wonderful."
He added, "I have seen the performance four times, and I was amazed each time. My impression is that the more I listen to it, the more I like it. Today, my special feeling was that the more I listened to the music and songs, the more I felt their beauty. Almost all the music in the whole performance was new. The more I listened to them, the more I felt their beauty, and the more I felt comfortable and experienced joy. Just like the song "Who Am I?" sung by Guan Guimin; the more I listen to it, the more I feel its beauty."
The performance tells us of a real China
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August 10 was the birthday of Dr. Dawson's wife. Dr. Dawson brought her to attend the performance by Divine Performing Arts to spend a special birthday together. Dawson said, "The performance was fantastic, beautiful. It told us many things about China, a real China."
Dr. Dawson's wife was very satisfied and delighted, she said, "I had a wonderful time tonight. Just as my husband said, we have learned about Chinese culture and dances. It was very beautiful and elegant. We are glad that we came tonight for the show."
The performance was presented by Divine Performing Arts Touring Company, one of the three companies affiliated with Divine Performing Arts. From December last year to May this year, the company and the other affiliate - Divine Performing Arts New York Company, toured 70 countries and presented over 200 performances. The pure compassion and pure beauty displayed by Divine Performing Arts struck a chord with audiences worldwide and earned rave reviews.
Divine Performing Arts will present another performance on the evening of August 24 at the Manhattan Center's Hammerstein Ballroom. Website ticket booking: ticket.ntdtv.com and hotline:1-877-683-7469.
