(Clearwisdom.net) On April 2, 2008, the Divine Performing Arts Company of New York held its first performance at its second stop in Australia, the Sydney Entertainment Center, following successful performances in Melbourne. After watching the performance, Cai Miaotian, a Chinese vocalist in Sydney, said that she was surprised at the size and the choreography of the performance, and couldn't help longing to watch it again. She said the performer playing the Erhu showed a high degree of professional proficiency, and that the entire show was soul-stirring, and very impressive.
Cai Miaotian and her students
Cai Miaotian said she was surprised at the grand lineup of dozens of people on the stage and the great stage effects. She said, "The show was fantastic!" She was impressed by the young dancers with colorful costumes, who exemplified the Chinese folk stories known to every Chinese person, and the characteristics of ethnic minorities. Each and every dance was very energetic and they were all different.
The Choreographer is Awesome--The Show Is Soul-Stirring
Ms. Cai said, "I think the dances are particularly good. I loved the 'Lady of the Moon'. The choreography in this dance is truly wonderful. I cannot help longing to watch it again because it is very succinct. It combines the story of the lady of the moon with the story of shooting the suns. It was fantastic and very impressive. The male dancers were also wonderful. I also loved 'Drummers of the Tang Court' and 'Chopstick Zest'. The constantly changing layout and lineup of the dancers presents a beautiful and complete picture. The choreographer did a great job and made every dance grand and neat. The dances were really beautiful."
Ms. Cai said that she especially liked the piece, "Ladies of the Manchu Court" from the Qing Dynasty. "I have never seen a dance with this kind of dress of the Qing Court, wearing such shoes (flowerpot shoes) even though I have attended dance performances for 20 to 30 years. Few people dare to perform in this way because the performers don't have any major movement. For this kind of dance, there must be many dancers to display the orderly elegance and make it a soul-stirring performance. The performers walked slowly and gracefully, and it demonstrated grace and elegance. I think the choreography with the small movements is an innovation."
Performer Playing the Erhu Has a High Degree of Professional Proficiency
Ms. Cai Miaotian added, "Also, I liked the Erhu performance. It was absolutely wonderful. It was perfectly presented, from the skills to the emotions expressed. As soon as the performer started, she attracted the audience's attention and led them from the beginning to the end of the program. Everyone in the audience followed the path of her emotions. Her skills display a high degree of professional proficiency. I would imagine that she can play any difficult piece. Actually, one must play with one's heart, and the audience can feel it if this is accomplished. Precisely because the Erhu can express the performer's emotions from the bottom of their heart, it can hold people's attention. It is a great success if the performer can draw the audience into the performance in this way. The Erhu piece was truly a success."
Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2008/4/4/175828.html
Professional Musician: It has been a Long Time Since I last Saw Such a Great Show (Photo)
By Hua Qing, Shen Yong in Sydney, Australia
(Clearwisdom.net) On April 3, 2008, the second performance of the Divine Performing Arts Company of New York continued earning high marks from the audience at the Sydney Entertainment Center. People with various levels of training in artistic performance were touched by the pure compassion, and pure beauty of traditional Chinese culture, which was expressed in the performance of the Divine Performing Arts (DPA) and many praised and complimented the show.
Mr. Liu Hong attended the show with his family. After he watched the show, he said that the it was fantastic and impressive. As a professional singer, he said he hasn't seen such a high quality show for quite a long time. "We were very amazed and happy to have seen such a good performance."
Mr. Liu Hong has been known as the king of rock-n-roll in South China, and the championship winner of a singing contest in Australia. He said in his professional review, "The design and layout of the entire show was deliberate and exquisite. The performers are highly proficient. The expression and temperament of the performers was very good, very appropriate. They must have expended a lot of painstaking effort in rehearsal."
Mr. Liu was very complimentary of the costumes and the music of the entire show. "The costume design is wonderful. There's a high quality standard in the costume design, the deployment of colors, the selection of coating, and the tailoring style, especially in the interpretation of the dance costumes for different dynasties. They accurately embodied the characteristics of each dynasty. The music is also marvelous. For example, the "Ladies of the Manchu Court" from the Qing Dynasty, not only has the characteristics of the Qing Dynasty, but also their own interpretation of it."
Mr. Liu not only enjoyed the very professional singing and marvelous performance by tenor Hong Ming and several other vocalists, he also liked the pieces, "Nymphs of the Sea," "Drummers of the Tang Court," "Chopstick Zest," and "The Loyalty of Yue Fei." He reiterated that "Nymphs of the Sea" was very good and had a strong taste of divinity, "Drummers of the Tang Court" expressed the masculine frank and open character, and the design layout and movements of "Chopstick Zest" were truly wonderful. He said, "The performer who played Yue Fei is an energetic young man. His body language was appropriate and it harmonized well with the performance of the mother."
Finally, Mr. Liu said that as a Chinese he felt very proud to have attended such a show. "The entire show not only embodies the characteristics of traditional Chinese culture, but also reflects the connotation of divine culture, which makes people feel inspired and excited. As a Chinese person, my excitement is beyond description after seeing this wonderful show that is based on traditional Chinese culture. However, this doesn't mean that Westerners wouldn't like it. On the contrary, the impact of the rich performance extends beyond any country and nation. Tonight's show will cause people in the audience to ponder it after returning home, and they may later discover profound meanings."
Professional Musician: Truly Admires the General Design and Direction of the Performance
Mr. Simon Lee is a professional musician and a businessman dealing with musical instruments and on-stage sound effects. He has been active in various theatrical shows on and behind the stages of East and West. After seeing the show, he told the reporter, "I often personally participate in performances, and usually have no time to attend other performances. There is not that much that is worth watching. But today the performance by the DPA surprised me. I am really surprised. I never expected something so wonderful!"
Mr. Simon Lee, a professional musician and a businessman who deals with musical instruments and sound effects
Mr. Simon Lee, who has quite a bit of work experience and professional background, said that he admired the general design and direction of the performance. He said, "The dances by the DPA not only have a good design and layout, but they also tell those well-known Chinese stories of hundreds of years. They have profound cultural meaning, and so many exquisite costumes. The entire performance was a great success. I truly admire the general design and direction of the performance."
