(Clearwisdom.net) Washington D.C. continued to resonate to the beauty of classical Chinese dance and music as Divine Performing Arts, Chinese New Year Spectacular took to the stage at The John F. Kennedy Center Opera House. Novelist and playwright, Ms. Gelmi, was captivated by Divine Performing Arts (DPA). "I embrace the arts. I love dance and this was a 'bravura' performance. The virtuosity of these dancers--it just doesn't get any better. I mean the technical expertise of these dancers--it just doesn't get any better!" she exclaimed. "And I loved the colors, and colors are so important--the saturation of colors and the color values. I was interested in seeing how they played against each other and the overall feel of them."
As a journalist for twenty years, Ms. Gelmi has written for national and
international newspapers and taught creative writing, as well as having written
and published two novels.
Ms. Gelmi said that she was touched by many aspects of tonight's performance.
"The first thing was the virtuosity of the dancers, and then, because I am
aware of people who practice Falun Dafa: ...oh I don't know how you explain it,
but that kind of peaceful perfection emanating from them, and I think I was
getting it. It gave me a perspective of everything, which I appreciated. So it
was all very good!"
Although finding it difficult to choose a favorite performance, Ms. Gelmi said
that the Erhu performance entitled "Hope" especially touched her.
"That was unbelievable! It was just so perfectly melded, one note to
another. I was surprised."
"This is really classical Chinese dance. It's nothing modern. This is
really the purest form of wholesome entertainment. And I just didn't know what
to expect. ... I wanted to be totally surprised, and I was! It was beautiful
because it's traditional. There was everything--just the perfect thing to take
every member of the family [to see] ... The whole thing was just very pure and
beautiful. It was just perfect!" concluded Ms. Gelmi.
Dr. Allen and his wife were among the enthusiastic audience members who said they loved the show. "We have not been to a show like this! It was very different. We enjoyed it so much!" exclaimed Dr. Allen.
Dr. Allen was particularly intrigued with the historical aspects of classical Chinese dance as showcased by the DPA. "I did not realize that gymnastics, as we see it today, goes back 5,000 years in China. That was eye-opening. And the dancers were spectacular! The fluidity and movement was spectacular!"
The Erhu performance entitled "Hope" was one performance that Mrs. Allen said especially resonated with her. "That was beautiful. That was absolutely, that was eye-opening to me! A wonderful sound, the way the sound almost breathed at you! That was great, that was good!"
Mrs. Allen was greatly impressed with the overall show, "I loved the fluidity of the dancing, and the costumes were beautiful, the way that everything floated. It was just lovely!" She went on to add that two of the narratives in the show helped her to understand the current persecution of Falun Gong. "Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution" and "Dignity and Compassion" both describe the courageous non-violent stance Falun Gong practitioners in China have taken despite severe repression. Combined with ancient Chinese legends, the modern stories present a complete picture of traditional Chinese values.
"It expands our appreciation of the Chinese culture and its history, and it allows us to see something that you can not normally see in our country," Mrs. Allen said. Dr. Allen added, "It's a message of balance. It brings the physical, and mental, and spiritual together in a way that is very balanced, and I appreciate that!"
Cheryl Coughlin, an occupational therapist and her mother, Lucy Martin, a registered nurse, were touched by the deep meaning of the DPA performance. "It was an enlightening thing--it gave me lots to think about. The perspective they have of eternity, and the hopes we have -- it was wonderful!" said Ms. Martin. Elaborating further, she feels that people don't really stop to think about their lives, or "how long we're going to last, or what we're going to do with it when we get there." However, she said DPA "seems to have a perspective, they come with some feelings and some thoughts and looking forward, and they do it. It's wonderful!"
Ms. Coughlin said that many of the ideas expressed within the show were universal, "No language that's needed -- to speak to what we really need to be, as human beings to one another."
She added that she saw profound meaning in the performances, and that for her the show promoted a message of tolerance towards others, "The need to forgive and forget and create peace no matter what culture we're from. I thought it was brilliant! I think it resonates with what we're hoping for!"
Ms. Coughlin was so moved by the show, she said she planned to return to see the performance on Saturday night as well. "I'm looking forward to seeing it again!"
Source: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/11986/ http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/11996/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/11973/
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Category: Shen Yun Performing Arts
