(Clearwisdom.net) From February to April 2008, the Divine Performing Arts (DPA) held 45 shows in 18 cities across 13 countries in Europe. DPA presented the 5,000-year-Chinese traditional culture to Europe, where Western culture originated.
The main feature of the show is Chinese classical dance (Chinese dance). There are three major components to Chinese dance: physical rhythm, physical forms, and technique. This type of dance portrays thoughts, feelings, and content through physical rhythm and physical forms, which is different from ballet. Chinese dance emphasizes the hands, the eyes, the body, form, and footwork as well as figure, expression, strength, and rhythm, which are important means of expression and the basic ingredients of physical rhythm. "Figure" refers to physical movements, including posture and movement and "links." Linking movements express rhythm to the fullest.
Many ballet dancers in the audience found the beautiful forms and superb
techniques of the DPA artists refreshing. The deep inner qualities of the dances
and the physical rhythm in every move of the dancers impressed the professionals
a great deal. They said they learned a lot.
Former Head of the Royal School of Ballet in Antwerp, Belgium: DPA presented authentic Chinese culture
Marinella Paneda, the former head of the Royal Ballet School of Antwerp, and her student are interviewed
Marinella Paneda, the former head of the Royal Ballet School of Antwerp, has trained many talented ballet dancers in recent times. She is an expert on ballet. She said, "We are extremely fortunate to see real Chinese culture. We read about China and its history, which is very long, so naturally when we see this show, we can only think, 'They are making a very good start, they are trying to show who they really are,' and I think this is very important.
"I loved the drums. And when you feel this masculinity, this strength--I found that so marvelous. You can feel those drums beat into the depths of your soul, while in the girls you can see the femininity, the beauty, the grace in the movement, and I adored that too. Well, we adored everything."
Award-winning choreographer: Future artists should see the DPA show
Hugo Fanari is a stage lighting designer and dance teacher. He was previously a classic ballet dancer and winner of the Hamburg Choreography Award. Mr. Fanari saw the show with his teacher on the first day and saw it again with his mother the second day. On February 26 and 27 last year he saw the show twice in the City Theatre in Antwerp, Belgium. His mother has seen many top-class shows with him since he started performing at the age of 12. More than 60 people went to see the show after Mr. Fanari recommended it to them.
He said, "The Erhu music was very touching. Qi Xiaochun is not only a great master of the skill but also very charming and has an enchanting stage presence. Piano player Ma Changzi was great and worked very well with the singer. The dancers smiled throughout. Their movements were very precise and their coordination as a whole was perfect. Their beauty was not like Barbie dolls, but from their inner charm. Their perfect performance was obviously based on their great training. I could also feel their devotion to the promotion of the Chinese culture."
Mr. Fanari was amazed at the scale of the DPA and the talent from all over the world. He said that it is hard to tour so many countries. Mr. Fanari said he had worked with many international performing groups but had never seen a show that toured so many countries in such a short period of time.
British dancer: Chinese dance is the manifestation of human spirituality and the inner world
Elaine, a professional dancer, was drawn to the differences between Chinese classical dance and classical ballet.
Elaine used to be a professional dancer but is now a teacher in the film industry. She and her husband attended the last show in London. Elaine was glad she came, saying, "The entire performance was beautiful and very different from the Beijing Opera I saw recently. That was quite modern. The dances I saw today were extremely attractive. The movements were smooth and graceful."
Elaine thought for a bit and continued, "There is a soul to every dance. I am curious about the differences between Chinese classical dance and classical ballet explained by the hosts. The dances today showed how completely Chinese classical dance is a manifestation of the dancer's heart and spiritual level. Compared to ballet, the dances today made me feel warmer and more friendly. I was trained in ballet and I know it takes a lot of effort for dancers to be able to do that."
She was sorry that the beautiful dances she saw in the show, including the Mongolian dance and the Tibetan dance, don't exist in China anymore. She was appreciative of the fact that the Divine Performing Arts is restoring these beautiful traditional dances.
She didn't know much about Chinese culture or the persecution of Falun Gong and the tremendous pressure on practitioners in China but expressed an interest in gaining a deeper understanding of Falun Gong.
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Czech ballet professional: DPA performers are all "top of the top"
Ballet expert Ms. Kostulanova praises the Divine Performing Arts as "perfect and flawless"
Ms. Kostulanova brought 85 students from the Czech Royal Academy of Dance to attend the show. She said they were glad to learn about Chinese culture. She continued, "I really liked the singers. They were excellent,... They had such big strong voices.
"The costumes were so beautiful and colorful," she added. "They had very nice composition to them. Because I create pictures myself, it gave me an example of how to put such nice colors together. The costumes were not only colorful but also very elegant, with a good presentation."
Professional dancer Jana Kramarova attended the show and said that it inspired her. She was particularly amazed by the costumes. She said, "Even though they were simple, they very nicely distinguished the female figure. The stories were understandable, and the dancer looked so peaceful, with nice expressions in their faces."
Austrian National Opera House principal dancer: To broaden one's vision of art, one must see the DPA show
The principal ballet dancer at the Austrian National Opera House, Mr. Gregor Hatala, talks with DPA dancer Zhao Liang
It is said that walking the streets of Vienna is like walking on musical notes. The DPA's performance in Vienna won much praise from artists.
The principal ballet dancer at the Austrian National Opera House, Mr. Gregor Hatala, has been crowned the "prince of ballet" on stage. When interviewed, he expressed his delight with the show, "I enjoyed it, especially the drumming and the Mongolian dance."
He thought the performers had great technique. "For example in the Mongolian dance, the male dancers imitated eagles and horses." He also liked the "Mongolian Bowl Dance" by the female dancers. He said, "DPA has some unusual talents. A few of the actors were exceptional."
He found the show very intriguing, "It's rare to see this kind of art show in Europe. Everyone knows a little bit about China, such as the Great Wall, the totalitarian regime, and some may know about the renowned ceramics. But Europeans in general do not know about Chinese singers or Chinese dance. Therefore I found the show very intriguing."
He learned a great deal from the show, "It gave me some new ideas, which maybe I can use in my future choreography, such as some interesting moves in the fan dance."
He said he would recommend the show to friends, "To broaden one's artistic vision and to see a Chinese-flavored production completely different from its European counterparts, one must see this show."
Head of a dance school in Stockholm, Sweden: The show was pure beauty, one could feel the "truth"
Kathleen Quinlan Zetterberg (right); her daughter, Lilly Zetterberg (middle); and her daughter's friend, Emilie Borg
Kathleen Quinlan Zetterberg is a famous Swedish dancer. Her mother, Isadora Duncan, was a also famous dancer. Kathleen has been a professional classical dancer for 30 years. Her deceased husband, Jan Zetterberg, was the founder of the Stockholm Dance School, and she is the current president of the school.
After seeing the show on March 24, 2008, Ms. Zetterberg offered sincere praise. "I had never seen Chinese dance before. The movements were beautiful and what the actors tried to express was so pure. I could sense the 'truth' in the dances. That is so important."
Ms. Zetterberg has performed in numerous shows. She said, "I noticed another special thing about this show. The audience was completely into it. They really liked it. That doesn't happen very often in Sweden. The show changed the Swedish audience. Their hearts were drawn in by the show. Probably many people had been waiting for it for a long time, so they really cherished this chance. I was touched, too."
Her daughter, Lili Zetterberg, is a student at the Swedish Royal Ballet School. She said, "The show is exciting and beautiful. I like the songs. I would like it even without the translation. The show was beautiful, a true Chinese wonder. It was really enjoyable to watch."
Head of a Swedish art school: The show is a "must-see"
Nadia Kevolej, principal at a school for the arts
Nadia Kevolej is a principal at a school for the arts. She is also a dancer with many years of experience. After seeing the fourth performance of the Spectacular in Stockholm, she said, "The performance is splendid. I am a ballet dancer, so I can see the performers are very professional. The costumes are so beautiful, and the backdrop is very colorful. All the dances have very strong and very easy to understand stories. Also, the dances deliver very clear messages."
She thought that all the programs were very outstanding. She said that the most touching for her was "The Risen Lotus Flower." "That female dancer danced so well. One could see that she performed from her heart. It was so moving that I almost cried. Her dance movements were succinct, springy, and exquisite. The meaning expressed by the dance came across very clearly.
"I want to tell all my friends that they must see this show. If not, they will regret it very much, because they will not know what they have missed!"
Head of a Finnish dance school: DPA presented the basics of human natureAt 4:00 p.m. on March 30, 2008, the Divine Performing Arts Company (DPA) debuted the Chinese Spectacular at Tampere Hall in Tampere Finland, Santa Claus's hometown and the third-largest city in Finland, to rave reviews from audience members. Folks from Tampere welcomed the show with their unique hospitality.
Ms. Kaija Raty-Omar
The head of a dance school in Helsinki, Ms. Kaija Raty-Omar, was deeply moved. "Very magical. I myself am a dance teacher, so I'm very interested in this kind of performance. I think people all need this kind of beautiful dance so they can relax. It is exactly this kind of performance that gives people wonderful joy. The dance movements were very rich and elegant. The ones I liked the most were 'Drummers of the Tang Court' and 'Nymphs of the Sea.'" She passionately volunteered to share her feelings about the show during intermission.She said, "I cried several times while watching the show. The music was so moving and I felt it with my heart. This was performing arts of a very high caliber."
She continued, "I simply liked the show so much. I would like to incorporate the movements in 'Nymphs of the Sea' into my dance. This dance was almost like a myth. I watched those dancers' hand movements carefully and found them to be very delicate. I used to teach similar dance movements.
"The backdrops were beautifully designed, and they integrated very well with the dances. It helped people to better understand the inner meaning of the dances."
She said that she had performed in over 60 countries and learned different dance styles in different countries. She has also taken her own dance group to Shanghai, China, to see several performances. She knew that many cultures in Asia are very similar, with many common features. "However, there is a most ancient and primitive element in the DPA's dance that I have never seen before. I have never seen a performance like this before and it has long been a regret of mine."
She said has a good understanding of artistic performance and feels that at the present time, cultures in society are all geared toward modernism and avant-gardism. However, she feels that traditional content is still badly needed in dance. After seeing the DPA's performance, she could see that the dance performances were very clean and pure.
Ms. Raty-Omar said, "The media in Finland is very good. I have read about Falun Gong and what is currently happening in Tibet. The dance dramas in the show demonstrated more specific content. There are many religions in the world. For example, Hinduism, Christianity, and Buddhism all just demonstrate their own religion. This show, however, not only demonstrates their own characteristics, but also the most fundamental things in human nature."
She said that she had already sent the Chinese Spectacular information to all her students in different areas of Finland. She hoped that they all could see show.
Having seen DPA in 2008, many audience members hoped to see them again in 2009. Their wish will soon come true. Tickets for the following eight cities can now be purchased on line:
Frankfurt, Germany on February 21 to 22, 2009
Antwerp, Belgium on February 23 to 25, 2009
Paris, France on February 27 to March 1, 2009
Arhus, Denmark on March 9-10, 2009
Osolo, Norway on March 14, 2009
Stockholm, Sweden on March 18, 2009
Linkoping, Sweden on March 20 to 21, 2009
Berlin, Germany on March 23 to 25, 2009
