Large audience at Boston's first 2009 Divine Performing Arts show.

(Clearwisdom.net) Not long after the First Night celebration rocked the city of Boston, another New Year celebration has come to town. Divine Performing Arts is back for the third year to grace the stage at Boston's historic Opera House with its Chinese New Year Spectacular.

The Boston City Council issued a resolution congratulating DPA, which says, "Our city is truly blessed to have Divine Performing Arts share the legacy of traditional Chinese culture with the entire community. Their hard work and dedication is showcased through their delightful and elegant classical Chinese dance and music."

Divine Performing Arts (DPA), which is based in New York, is a nonprofit organization consisting of world-class dancers, choreographers, and musicians that is independent of China's communist regime. It aims to revive the ancient culture and traditions of China's 5,000-year-old civilization that were suppressed or eliminated during the Cultural Revolution.

DPA is thus very unique in its content and presentation--drawing on cultural and artistic legacies that cannot be found in present-day China. According to the DPA Web site, "The company seeks to breathe new life into traditional Chinese culture while providing audiences everywhere with an experience of sublime beauty."

DPA began its 2009 World Tour on Dec. 19 with simultaneous productions in Ft. Lauderdale, Philadelphia, and Atlanta. This year there are three touring companies and two live orchestras to delight audiences with original dances based on classical Chinese dance traditions and with original music embracing both Western and Eastern elements. The newly expanded DPA is scheduled to stop in over 80 cities in 20 countries. Last season, the company toured 60 cities.

City officials as well as state and federal officials have welcomed Divine Performing Arts with letters, certificates of recognition, citations, and resolutions--including Boston Mayor Tom Menino, Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch, and Providence, R.I., Mayor David Cicilline.

Greetings came from Massachusetts and New Hampshire governors Deval Patrick and John Lynch, respectively, as well as from Massachusetts members of the U.S. Congress James McGovern, Stephen Lynch, and Niki Tsongas. Citations recognizing Divine Performing Arts were issued by Massachusetts state senators Robert Creedon Jr., Steven Tolman, Frederick Berry, and Richard Tisei, Representatives Mark Falzone and Paul Donato, and Speaker of the House Salvatore DiMasi.

DPA's run at the Opera House consists of two shows on Saturday, Jan. 10, at 2:00 and 7:30 p.m. There is also an afternoon performance on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

DPA's global tour will continue for the next several months. The stopover in Boston is timed around the Chinese New Year, which is based on the lunar calendar and falls on January 26. The year 2009 in the Chinese zodiac is the Year of the Ox, which is characterized by perseverance and hard work.