New Yorkers Come Together for the Chinese New Year Splendor

(Clearwisdom.net) New York is known for being a diverse place, complete with a plethora of different cultures and traditions. This year, during the two weeks surrounding Chinese New Year, Radio City Music Hall found itself once again at the heart of a new global tradition: the Divine Performing Art's Chinese New Year Splendor.

Josephine Jolar, a spectator from Long Island said, "I've been reminded of how deeply spiritual these people are." She elaborated on how different her impression of China was after seeing the Splendor. Her previous exposure was only through what she saw and heard through the mainstream media, which, in her opinion, conveyed only the side of China that the business world is interested in, industry, stocks, etc.

She said that she found the Splendor to be crafted to the point of perfection and that it was a very aesthetic presentation. She marveled at the beauty of the women and their dancing ability, but also commented on the manner in which they were presented: with tact, elegance, and grace.

Several people mentioned that they were captivated by the vocal performances, especially the lyrics that conveyed moral principles.

A junior high school teacher, Alexis Southerland, attended with her mother, Yvonne Southerland, and friend, Cathy Scarpati, a native of Brooklyn. Alexis commented, "It enhances my knowledge and understanding of Chinese culture. I think that it is wonderful because it lets you see the values of truth and honesty and compassion for others, and that is wonderful to see. And it's universal, because our African American culture shares the same values, as well as many cultures around the world, so in that way we are alike."

Alexis especially admired the skill of the dancers. "I was struck by just the beauty of it. They had such great posture and hand movements and gestures that were so wonderful that I would like to learn them myself."

Tom Roderick is an executive director for a non-profit organization that teaches social responsibility. He said his favorite performance was what he called Erhu. He said that the show conveyed, "A good combination of spirituality with dance and music."

Mr. Roderick attended with his sister, who enjoyed the dance "Nymphs of the Sea." She also mentioned how the show helped her to better understand Falun Gong. In the past, she had seen Falun Gong practitioners on the streets demonstrating some of the things that were happening inside of China, but through a couple of the performances in the Splendor, "This time I could really understand, I really got it."