WASHINGTON—During its six-show run at Washington D.C.’s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Divine Performing Arts [DPA] Chinese New Year Spectacular continues to captivate its audience.
Mr. and Mrs. Anders attended the Saturday afternoon show as their “anniversary date.”
“We actually met, our first date, was in 2007 [when the show played] at the Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University. It sparked our romance and we got married a year ago and so this has become our anniversary date,” said Mr. Anders.
Mr. Anders is a senior business consultant at a 100-year-old leading global management and technology consulting firm, while Mrs. Anders is a manicurist who owns her own salon.
The couple has attended the show each year since then. “It just keeps getting better,” said Mr. Anders.
“We really enjoy it. And we have friends now that help us make sure we get tickets to every show. We are personally contacted and we know we'll never miss a performance in the Washington D.C. area. It’s great.”
DPA takes it’s inspiration from 5,000 years of Chinese culture, depicting ancient myths and legends as well as contemporary issues through classical Chinese dance and music.
“The dancers, their performance is just superb, and you can clearly see the pageantry of it. We love that. And the girls and guys are so acrobatic and mixed with the elegance that they have and the skill, it is wonderful,” said Mr. Anders.
Welcoming Spring made a big impression on him. “I like the fan dance. For me that is my favorite.”
Mrs. Anders said she especially enjoyed the dance Mulan Joins the Battle, in which a young woman disguises herself as a man and joins the army in her aging father’s place.
“I always loved Mulan. I want to be a boy too,” she said, adding that she liked all the dances in the show.
Please see DivinePerformingArts.org for more information.
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