(Clearwisdom.net) On May 3, 2008, Divine Performing Arts (DPA) attracted more than two thousand audience members for their performance in Cleveland. Many political leaders in Ohio sent congratulatory letters for the Chinese Spectacular.
 On the evening of May 3, 2008, DPA performed at the State Theater in Cleveland |
 The audience watched the performance attentively |
Politicians sent commendations and congratulations for the performance
 Congratulatory Letter from Ohio Senator Steve Buehrer |
Ohio Senator Steve Buehrer wrote, "Thank you for bringing the beauty and brilliance of the ancient Chinese culture and natural history to our area and for helping Ohio's spirit of cultural appreciation to thrive. May this show set a tone of success for the rest of the year!"
The Mayor of Cleveland, Frank G. Jackson wrote, "The DPA performance represents the revival of traditional Chinese culture. The wonderful show reveals top quality traditional Chinese music and dance."
Many other civic leaders also sent congratulatory letters to the DPA performance: Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Congressman Steven C. LaTourette, Ohio State Senators Capri S. Cafaro, Dale Miller, Lance T. Mason, David Goodman, and Ohio State Congressman Kenny Yuko.
Mayor of Canton: A Chance to Reveal Chinese History
Mayor from Canton William J. Healy heard about the performance from an American Chinese group, and he and his family saw it together. He thought that it was a good chance to reveal Chinese history and he was glad to see such a performance being presented to audiences in Cleveland.
 The Mayor of Canton, Ohio, William J. Healy, found the Performance "very nice and special" |
Mayor Healy said, "I think the performance was very nice and special, very unique. My favorite program was 'The Risen Lotus' presented by three dancers. The program gave us a strong message. Although they were cruelly persecuted by police and their beliefs were suppressed, the practitioner who was beaten to death was accepted by Buddha and divine beings. I think this is very nice and very touching."
Mayor Healy visited China when he studied in college and saw some dance performances there. But when he mentioned the DPA performance, he several times used the word "unique" to describe it. He also said that when the curtain opened, everything presented on the stage, including the colorful costumes and the backdrops, made you realize that these things were from China, not America.
Mr. Healy's wife is Chinese ,and she thought the performance was a good chance to display Chinese history, "I am glad that you presented this show to the audiences in Cleveland. I appreciate it very much. "
Mr. Healy also thought that it was a very good opportunity to study and learn about Chinese history and culture, "I liked the performance very much. I hope the performance will make children learn and study more about Chinese history and culture."
Chinese Engineer: The DPA Performance Gave Us a Lift
Mr. Yang Xiaocheng from mainland China came to America over ten years ago. He saw the performance in Cleveland on May 3 and thought that it gave him a lift and cleared his mind.
Yang Xiaocheng regarded the performance as being different from other Chinese performances: "DPA gives you a lift and reveals the kindness, fortitude, beauty, and purity of traditional Chinese culture, while other popular arts just glamorize and exaggerate some small things, making you feel that they just made a fuss over nothing."
This year Mr. Yang's friend invited him to the DPA performance in New York and he thought that the performance was very unique. So today, Mr. Yang invited some local American friends to see the performance with him.
Mr. Yang said that freedom of belief has always suppressed under the CCP in China and that Falun Gong is also suppressed in China. He said, "The performance makes people see that in suffering, people are waking up and knowing precisely who is right, who is wrong, and who is kind and who is evil, which is the content of traditional Chinese culture. Taking 'The Loyalty of Yue Fei' as an example, this is a historical story and it is something fine descending from our ancestors. I think that is something spiritual passed down for our nation, and we should always pass these kinds of things on."
Executive Director of Cleveland International Community Commission: DPA Represents Real Chinese
Executive Director of the Cleveland International Community Commission Kenneth Kovach thought that DPA represented real Chinese culture. He said, "The performance makes people see the different cultural aspects of China. I have had many chances before to see Chinese performances. But the level of this performance is much higher than any of the other ones I've ever seen. This is a wonderful experience."
 Executive Director of the Cleveland International Community Commission Kenneth Kovach |
Cleveland Artist: Revival of Chinese Culture and Art All Over the World
A local Cleveland artist, Karol Patt, said after the performance that the artistic standard of the performance was very high and she liked it very much. "Divine Performing Arts is reviving Chinese culture and art all over the world. This is very important."
She also said that she appreciated the costumes and music very much. She was thankful that they had made such an effort to create such costumes. She said, "I learned a great deal about Chinese culture from the performance."
An immigrant from Hungary, Gyula Gyimese, who saw the performance with Ms. Patt said, "This is an experience I've never had before."
