(Clearwisdom.net) In the afternoon of January 24, 2009, DPA (Divine Performing Arts) New York Company and DPA International Company joined forces to present the Chinese New Year Splendor at the world famous Radio City Music Hall in New York. Among the audience were professional artists, business leaders, politicians and many Chinese Americans. The Radio City shows are a highlight of Chinese New Year celebrations.
Cheng Xiaonong and his wife He Qinglian, both economists, have attended the show every year since the first performance several years ago. On January 24, the couple watched the Splendor again. They believe the show has gone beyond pure artistic expression and that its profound meaning deliver a message to those in the audience.
Economists Cheng Xiaonong and He Qinglian at Radio City Music Hall
Ms. He Qinglian achieved international fame through her research works on China, including A Foggy China, How Chinese Government Controls Media, The Pitfalls of Modernization and other books. During an interview after the show, she told the reporter, "The Splendor successfully recovers many traditional artistic elements in Chinese classical dances. Using Chinese dance to perform the stage play, the Splendor brought back to life many ancient legends and history."
Ms. He said she especially loves the elegance of the dances. She pointed out, "In the Fan Dance and the Flowing Sleeves, the ancient costumes brought people to heavenly realms. These dances recreate the beauty of Ni-Shang-Yu-Yi (a Tang Dynasty dance style)."
Ms. He Qinglian also was impressed by the stage artistic design and the live orchestra, "(The performance) gave people a strong visual impact; the dances, music, stage scenery and the backdrop together were quite spectacular. The orchestra combined both Chinese traditional musical instruments and Western instruments; the drums and Suo-Na highlighted the atmosphere, it's just right. It was a total success."
Ms. He Qinglian was most impressed by "the miraculously expedited improvement of the talents." She noticed, "within a short three to five years, DPA has developed so many highly talented professional dancers and musicians. No other performing arts group could do this. It is an extraordinary achievement."
Mr. Cheng Xiaonong said, "What impressed me most this year was the professionalism in this large scale world tour performance. DPA presents performances in the U.S. and other countries simultaneously. That is not an easy task! This requires a huge amount of organization, design, coordination and training. A show of this magnitude could almost take national efforts with governmental resources. From the DPA show, I really felt the power of belief. I am deeply touched."
Mr. Cheng added, "There is something unique about the DPA show. It is not a simple artistic expression for its own sake. The show embodies many interpretations of profound ideas and beliefs. It creates different effects on different people: for people from mainland China, it offers a great deal of learning opportunities beyond entertaining; Westerners unfamiliar with China gain deeper knowledge and appreciation of Chinese arts."
"The DPA show is not simply the arts that the dancers show their dance skill, or the singers present their singing skill, it has very deep inner meaning. The dances and the songs send a strong message, and it makes people think. Not everyone cries during the show, but I think some people would ponder it after the show."
"In China, the Chinese New Year Show by the CCTV has no spiritual content, which is morally declining, disgusting and unpopular, which is the pattern without soul and spirit. These two shows (DPA vs. CCTV) form such a strong contrast: Righteous vs. Evil, Bright vs. Dark; Superior vs. Inferior, there is simply no comparison."
Category: Shen Yun Performing Arts
