NEWARK, N.J.—The Paul family were amongst the audience at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in downtown Newark who were captivated by the Divine Performing Arts (DPA) Chinese New Year Spectacular on Tuesday Jan. 27.
Mrs. Paul, an executive recruiter in New Jersey, loved the performances. During the intermission, she said, “I was enjoying it very very much; I loved watching the hand movements of the dancers. I thought that was great, and I think [rest of the family]all really enjoyed the drumming.”
Mr. Paul, banker in New Jersey, liked the stories behind the performances. He added, “and there were some stories being told too.”
He explained that they came to the show because they thought it would be an educational experience for their children Robbie and Alexandra. “Both kids are learning Chinese at school … It was Robbie who encouraged us all to go as he was interested in Chinese culture.”
“We like new things. We like learning about new things … so we enjoyed it,” added Mrs. Paul.
Robbie said he thought the performance was “Kind of neat” and the stories gave him an insight into Chinese culture.
“I liked the stories; I enjoyed that. I liked the crazy Buddha [Monk Ji Gong Abducts the Bride],” added Mrs. Paul. “That was good, the eccentric monk,” Robbie corrected.
Monk Ji Gong is one of the most beloved figures from Chinese history and has long been remembered for his unorthodox, and seemingly-crazy, manner of doing good works.
Mr. Paul was particularly impressed with the dancing and details in the movements. “It is different. There [were] different movements, different! I don’t know, there were times when the ladies were like a flower—it was really cool.”
“They portray things differently and again I loved watching the movements and the gestures,” Mrs. Paul added.
Robbie was amazed how all the dancers performed together as one body. “I thought it was cool how they worked as a group, and it wasn’t like a single person dancing. It was like the entire group of people.”
“Everything had nature, everything was relating to nature in some way, whether it was the scenery, the backdrops, or the story itself, it was getting back to nature and the bright colors. I really liked that … it was great,” concluded Mrs. Paul.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Divine Performing Arts. Visit DivinePerformingArts.org for more information.
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