WASHINGTON—Mr. Davis was at the opening show of the Divine Performing Arts (DPA) Company at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 10.
Mr. Davis is the regional manager of an international publishing company, and he was very impressed with the DPA show.
“I thought that performance was absolutely phenomenal, the colors, the costumes, the performances, the dancing was just absolutely incredible and … the music was fantastic, I loved it.”
Mr. Davis has traveled the world.
“I enjoy the arts and I enjoy going to performances,” he said, but he thought this show was different from the others he has seen.
“I would say it is more intense, it draws the audience in, and there’s a story line that you have to follow that’s both a story as well as a philosophy.”
He thought the DPA show helped him appreciate Chinese cultural heritage, “which you don’t see very often,” he said
The guiding mission of DPA is to rediscover and renew humanity’s true, rightful cultural heritage.
Mr. Davis commented, “The orchestra was phenomenal; I can’t say that I ever heard anything better, and the music was phenomenal, the instruments were very, very interesting.”
“The erhu, that is a fantastic instrument. It has a very deep and mellow sound, deeper than a viola.”
This unique instrument, which some refer to as the Chinese violin, can be traced back 1,000 years to China’s Tang Dynasty, an era often considered the peak of China’s 5,000-year culture.
The erhu’s unique, soul-stirring sound is created through its curious shape and the unique materials used in its construction. The bow is made of horsehair, and python skin is used for the cover of the resonator box.
Mr. Davis has a daughter who plays the violin but he would like her to learn the erhu.
“I think it’s a great instrument,” he said
His favorite part of the performance was Mongolian Chopsticks, an ethnic dance from China’s hinterlands which bursts forth in the contagiously joyful and festive use of chopsticks by these women. The charm of the region’s sprawling plains is mirrored by the passionate warmth of the dancers, who use bundles of chopsticks to greet guests. Hints of nomadic life peek through in the rich range of bodily movements, which include arms undulating in imitation of eagles.
“It was very interesting, and tying in the cultural aspects, the philosophical issues of the redemption of the soul so to speak, all of that was very, very interesting, I loved it.”
It was Mr. Davis’s first time seeing the DPA show and he said, he hoped the show would “come back again and again.”
“This is very important for both of our countries,” he said, adding that he enjoyed the show “very, very much.”
“I will put this on the Internet and recommend it highly.”
For more information, please see divineperformingarts.org
NTDTV contributed to this report
