Epoch Times Staff Jan 21, 2009

PORTLAND, Oregon.--Ms. Baker, a professional photographer, was with her friends amongst the enraptured audience at Portland's Keller Auditorium on Jan. 20 to see The Divine Performing Arts (DPA) International Company Chinese New Year Spectacular. The Keller Auditorium, the nexus of the city's fine arts and music scene, is located near the heart of downtown Portland.

"It was amazing, it was absolutely gorgeous... beautiful," explained Ms. Baker.

"Brilliantly colorful, spectacularly variant, unbelievable beauty."

She was so moved by what she had seen that she said she would like to travel with the DPA company and become their official photographer so she could capture many of these visions for eternity.

"It made me want to tour with the company, and learn the songs, and learn when the people would be doing certain things, so that I could capture that moment. I really wanted to catch that perfect moment in a week."

Referring to the performance "Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution," which tells the tale of a father who is persecuted for practicing Falun Dafa, Ms. Baker said she appreciated learning about the spiritual practice of Falun Dafa and its persecution in China.

The fantastic scenes that ultimately unfold in this piece present a message of hope and bespeak of a longstanding Chinese belief that good people are ultimately rewarded, even if not in this lifetime.

Ms. Baker said that this performance touched her heart and explained that even though she knew little about the issue, she was able to relate to it in many ways.

"I understand heartbreak and sadness and pain and spiritual longing so I can relate to that. It looks like a beautiful way of life."

"I have learned quite a lot just in this one night."

She praised how the Divine Performing Arts demonstrates "different types of human experience" through the performances.

"It was demonstrated so beautifully, with the joy, and the dancing, and the appreciation of the human experience," she said.

"I've been given a variety of experiences including some of the tragedy involved, and people are just trying to live and worship in the ways they want to, and how beautiful it is, and how amazing it can be for someone's body and mind and spirit to participate in it."

As a photographer, she captured many frames in her mind as she watched each performance.

"I take pictures in my head all the time, and it was wonderful. One of my favorite things was especially the one at the end, with the ribbons ["Flowing Sleeves"], because it made everything even bigger at the end."

The performance "Flowing Sleeves" features female dancers draped in long, flowing sleeves. The tremendous feminine grace of this ensemble is reminiscent of the women of the celebrated Tang imperial court.

"I think it was choreographed beautifully, very well lit. I did wish I could take pictures quite often. The movement and the vibrant colors were spectacular from a photographer's viewpoint and the dancers were just amazing."

"The movements were incredible and the costumes were of course..... that made it that much more incredible."

Ms. Baker said that she was "surprised" by all of the different stories, and said that she appreciated the presenters explaining each performance, which enhanced the overall experience of the show.

"I think there was more storytelling than I had realized there would be and it made it an incredible experience, because it's like getting to see it through all these wonderful windows, the different parts of the culture and the many various parts of the culture. It's such an unusual experience to get to see that much of the tapestry of the culture."

This is the first time DPA has come to Portland, a city located on the mouth of the Columbia River. Portland is known throughout the world for its green practices and initiatives on sustainability, and it is an arts-oriented city.

The DPA International Company will head to New York for the next leg of its 2009 World Tour.

Source: http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/content/view/10668/