(Clearwisdom.net)
Part 1: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2007/6/4/86415.html
Part 2: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2007/6/5/86451.html
In modern times, ancient morals and aesthetics are becoming more and more covered up. Divine Performing Arts, the artistic troupe that comprises New Tang Dynasty Television's Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular shows, is resurrecting the ancient morality deeply ingrained in traditional arts. Many times in history, efforts to recover lost traditions have turned into an attack on modern arts and produced a negative effect. To bring back lost traditions, one needs to search back in time and find the classical spirit. One has to resurrect ethics and morals, and thus renew human life. The dancers must be individuals who understand fully the relationship between humans and spirit. If possible, he or she should be someone who is immersed in truthfulness and compassion. Only in this way can a dancer touch people's hearts.
The dance, "The Loyalty of Yue Fei" shows what Loyalty truly represents in the minds of humans. It is manifested clearly because of the quality of the dancers. When Yue Fei's mother moves her body with difficulty, we see in this the weightiness of ethics and morality. Her ancient dress underscores the deep tradition of these virtues. The body which was wrapped inside the ancient solemn dress expresses a mother's love with an aesthetic style. The dancer is as hard as a tree, but also full of strength, softness and self-respect. The dance is both sad and moving.
The young Yue Fei shows the purity of life. His naked upper body flies through the air, which is as pure as a child. The purity comes from his strong legs which are wrapped inside his white silk pants, as well as his strong chest that represents honesty. From this dancer's movements we see the basic human quality, Truthfulness.
The highest aesthetics in the Divine Performing Arts is to bring out again the true human being, to bring out the morals that humans have lost. Audience members who can sense this are cleansed.
The spreading of Falun Dafa has had a major spiritual impact on modern society. The art form of Divine Performing Arts - bringing the divine to the human world - is another major influence, and it brings a challenge to the modern human being who believes in atheism. How have they carried out this large-scale undertaking which is against the trend of modern times?
Those dances that depict heavenly beings remind people of dances by Bodhisattvas and heavenly maidens described in the Buddhist literature. In "Creation," the heavenly maidens dance with small harps on the clouds, while many gods stand behind them. The spatial and color feeling is like the Dunhuang frescos. Here, what the heavenly world expresses, besides beauty, is the peace and kindness of gods. In the dance, a Buddha who leads heavenly beings to the earth leaves right away, hinting at the urgency of the situation, and of what the gods must focus on. In "To the Rightful Place," when a goddess is descending to earth, her loose, white gown and the ring of light around her head represents a holy image, just like that of an angel or Bodhisattva. It depicts a glorious heavenly god. In "A Dunhuang Dream," the heavenly beings correspond to the movements of the arms of the Buddhas in the background. This tells the audience that gods are everywhere. The waving arms in the wall create a mystical feeling.
Do not underestimate your sense of feeling these scenes are real. They manifest in other dimensions, yet the reality of the art form can give form to one's imagination. This reality asks for enlightenment - it asks the world's people to ponder on and bring out the basic thought they know well about the truth of the universe. What the Divine Performing Arts does is to open people's consciences. In this era, perhaps nothing is more brave or suitable than this.
Divine Performing Arts bring out real beauty. There is a perfect balance of background, color, and movements of the dancers. This suggests what real beauty truly is. There is also a hidden message: beauty is inside truth and compassion; and beauty belongs to people who understand the real meaning of truth and compassion.
Divine Performing Arts also contains another inner meaning. With thunder and lighting from the sky, the dance, "To the Rightful Place" contrasts good and bad, and shows divine judgment, which many people in the 20th century no longer believe in. It's exactly because people forget that they will be judged after death that has caused this world to deteriorate. Sometimes when people do not really believe in gods, fear is a method to make people live correctly. Although fear of gods can serve the purpose of making people understand the true situation, Divine Performing Arts only shows a very short, symbolic punishment through thunder. That is, in the Divine Performing Arts, compassion is much more important than punishment.
Here lies a difference between Divine Performing Arts and "Dancing of the Fa's Happiness" from Buddhist literature. At the same time when religions are on the upsurge in Africa, Latin America, Asia, and former communist countries, Falun Dafa is spreading in the world. In China, the persecution of Falun Gong is the dark core which is hidden under the surface of a rising economy.
The biggest purpose of the Chinese Communist Party, as Mao said himself, is to change people. The truth of the dictatorship is hidden beneath this current period of the capitalist/spending culture. What cannot be hidden anymore is the disappearance of human conscience. Divine Performing Arts appears at this point when human beings are in danger of loosing their morality altogether. It is using traditional Chinese culture to defeat the culture created by the communist party, the culture that separates humans from their true nature, and it is waking up the conscience that had been cheated. This is the real meaning of the thunder. It points straight at the truth of the matter.
Falun Dafa can be expressed through dance and music. At the end of this cycle of human civilization, Falun Dafa makes people think once again of the last judgment, in which justice itself is the only judge. Dances from various nationalities come to life again - which means, people are given the chance to live once again. Heaven as depicted in the dance is so real that people once again get the sense that this wonderful moment, this last trial, this highest justice which has been long forgotten by people, will truly happen in the world again.
Gods are merciful, yet awesome. Divine Performing Arts is showing the world their powerful dance, reminding people of a different way of living and awakening deeply-buried memories. It is an important message that human being's dying culture is returning to its wondrous beginning.
When dance from the essence of life is created, the world is re-created as well. The dance which calls to all lives brings us back to the beginning of the universe, and points us toward a new start and unlimited opportunities. Dance blessed by Heaven returns us to our true humanity, and meanwhile, human being have a new beginning.
April 24, 2007