(Clearwisdom.net) On February 8, 2009, Divine Performing Arts (DPA) completed their run of the Chinese New Year Spectacular at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis, Tennessee. The audience gave a standing ovation and the artists answered two curtain calls.

Pianist from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music: I Feel Proud

Ms. Wang, in her 70s, used to teach piano at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. She was a teacher of DPA pianist Ma Changzi. Ms. Wang came to the Divine Performing Arts show with a friend, and she was very happy to meet Ma Changzi again.

Ms. Wang said, "The Chinese classical dance was terrific, and the live orchestra did a great job.

"I feel really warm and happy. It's fantastic to see an arts group touring the world to promote traditional Chinese culture. The DPA is full of talented people who work hard for the arts and I am very happy for them."

Chinese Musicians: Surprisingly Terrific

Mr. and Mrs. Yang both graduated from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Mr. Yang was a tenor and his wife a soprano. They both had high praise for the DPA show.

Mrs. Yang thought that Divine Performing Arts successfully blended Eastern and Western musical instruments. "Their tones are different and give people different feelings. The Chinese Suona horn sounds sharper and louder than the trumpet. Many orchestras use a few of these ethnic instruments for decoration. Divine Performing Arts used a lot of traditional Chinese instruments, not just for decoration but as the lead tones. The music shows a strong Chinese style and has unique characteristics."

Mr. Yang liked the orchestra, too. "The choice of instruments and scores was fantastic," he said. "One must know that performing music live is tough, and it's easy to go wrong. The artists were professional and their dancing was flawless," he added.

Mr. Yang was most impressed by the dances because they blended so harmoniously with the beautiful costumes and music. Mrs. Yang was amazed by the fact that so many dancers could dance with such great precision.

Mr. Yang loved the dance numbers such as "Mulan Joins the Battle," "The Monkey King Triumphs," and "Monk Ji Gong Abducts the Bride" because the stories reminded him of his childhood. "These are traditional folk mythology that everyone [who's Chinese] knows. It's precious to be able to see them overseas."

Mrs. Yang praised the Chinese folk dances also, because they were full of the ethnic essence of the particular culture they represented. They both loved the fan dance because it was very creative and special. "Most fans are semi-circular. Those in the DPA's dance all became circular at the end," noted Mr. Yang.

"The Dance of the Snow-Capped Mountain" impressed Mrs. Yang because it presented the heroic quality of Tibetan youth.

The couple said they had not seen such a great show in a long time and said they believed that Chinese folk dances should be promoted overseas. The show surprised them with its unexpected excellence. "We are proud and happy to see a grand show that promotes traditional Chinese culture here."

Photographer: The Performance Is Powerful

Mr. Yu used to teach photography in a college of art in China. He came to America to study art and continued on to teach. Mr. Yu thought the stage effects and the artistic effects were powerful and remarked that such a show was hard to come across. "They are promoting Chinese culture through art. Everything was fantastic: the stage effects, the music, and the artists' performance. The background projection makes the performance look like a movie or something in a fairy tale."

Mr. Yu came with his son, thinking this was another mundane performance. However, Divine Performing Arts really caught his son's attention. Mr. Yu said, "I saw that his eyes were focused on the stage throughout the show. He must have thought it was interesting. I feel that such an art form is powerful and inspirational. Children are not biased. They watch what they like, or else," he laughed.