Channeling the Divine

PASADENA, Calif.—A professional who attended the Divine Performing Arts show at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on Friday experienced something of an epiphany during the performance that showcases traditional Chinese culture.

“I’m very inspired, uplifted and surprised about the spirituality part of the show. I knew it would be beautiful, but I’m really pleased about the spirituality,” said Dr. Nanette De Fuentes, a psychologist.
 
Dr. De Fuentes was intrigued by Knowing the True Picture Offers Ultimate Hope, a dance piece about Falun Gong, a meditation practice with roots in ancient Chinese culture.

“They were channeling beautiful, healing energy and I would really like to learn more about the meditation practice,” she said.

“I did not realize that most of the performers are practitioners of this form of meditation, and they often use hand gestures and you could feel what they were doing—that energy. I think they were channeling energy onto the audience for healing. It wasn’t just performing. I really think they were using their meditative practices and channeling the divine. I could feel it, especially in the last performance they did.”

Dr. De Fuentes was glad that the piece portrayed the persecution of Falun Gong which began after the Chinese regime banned it in 1999.

“I think Americans need to understand it,” she said. “We know a little bit about it, but I think we need to do more about the persecution and try to support the spiritual groups that are working in China—the Buddhists, the Christians, also.”

The unique backdrop, Dr. De Fuentes noted, “was unbelievable with the Buddhas and the divinities coming down. I was totally surprised, and it really added to the total experience.”

She was also highly impressed by the “gorgeous singing” of soprano Jianing Xu who sang, Let Reason Prevail.

“I could feel the energy in all the performances. So it was inspiring in all its modes and extremely beautiful. The dancing, the music, the orchestra was very uplifting and beautiful.”

A dance called The Udumbara’s Bloom. especially caught Dr. De Fuentes’ eye. She felt that the digitally designed backdrop was used in a particularly inventive way when the dancers formed into an Udumbara flower.

Until attending the show, Dr. De Fuentes wasn’t familiar with Chinese classical dance, the centerpiece of the DPA performances.

“I was surprised to learn that this form of dance has been around for thousands of years in China. I didn’t realize that, and I think modern-day ballet has imitated that. It’s not gymnastics, it’s actual dance. ... The dancing was unbelievable.”

Bonnie Sesak, Dr. De Fuentes’s friend who accompanied her to the show, also sensed a sacredness during the dances. She said she felt that there were messages of “compassion and respect” in the songs, including Let Me Not Regret by famous Chinese tenor Guimin Guan.

“There are lies here, and why are you believing the lies? It wasn’t a message of love, it was a message of, ‘I have despair about all of this. At the same time, I wish you well.’ There was compassion and respect for another person at the same time he was saying, ‘I feel this despair,’” she said.

“The spirituality underneath the piece is saying at the same time, ‘please understand you’re being lied to. Please find your way to this.’ I thought the integration of this piece was very touching, and you could feel it in the movement of the air around you and the energy that was coming from the stage.”

 

Please see DivinePerformingArts.org for more information.