NEWARK,N.J—Dr. Senyk, principal/educator and her businessman husband were among the throngs of people who ushered in the Year of the Ox at the Chinese New Year Spectacular 2009 World Tour at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center on Tuesday Night.
Dr. Senyk enthused after the show, “It’s spectacular. It really gives me a good feeling about the Chinese culture. The flower number was just wonderful with the fans [as flowers]. It is very lyrical and very deep. Dr. Senyk is referring to the dance called Welcoming Spring. In this festive scene, quick footwork, crisp movements and stunning bursts of color form the basis of the women’s fan dance and its sense of sheer delight.
Dr. Senyk said, “I love dance and I love to dance and it’s very lyrical. Everything is done professionally and I like seeing the Chinese style. It’s very different from the American style so the more you watch it the more you realize the artistry that’s involved. It’s not just jumping around it’s really a whole way of holding yourself and thinking about yourself. It’s beautiful”
Classical Chinese dance is a unique art form that dates back over 5,000 years of this divine- inspired cultures. Ancient Chinese people use dance to pay respect to heaven and the divine, appreciate life and the universe, and praise kindness and virtue. To perform this kind of dance, the performers have to cultivate these virtues in themselves in order to do justice to what they are portraying.
Mr. Senyk was enthusiastic about the backdrops. “I really like the interaction between the projected images behind the stage and the incorporation of those projected images to the live stage. I think it was ingenious. I’ve been going to theatre for many years and I’ve never seen that done, very creative.
The DPA’s digital backdrops give each scene an added visual depth and grandeur. Each backdrop is custom-designed to match exactly a given dance’s costumes, story line, lighting, and even choreography. Some of the backdrops begin as a painting; some are created digitally. During the show each is manually operated to integrate precisely with the rhythms of the performers.
“It’s more than pretty, it tells the story of a people, and their heritage, and their aspirations and I think their love of religion, which I appreciate. I think it was very spiritual. I really didn’t realize how religious, and devout Chinese people were, how much they are against atheism and communism,” said Mr. Senyk.
The Divine Performing Arts seeks to renew and restore the best of traditional Chinese performing arts.
“It was a wonderful show, I think there is also spirituality and family values which are very important and that was portrayed, and that hope and that perseverance overcomes all and after all this is the year of the ox. The main message I received from the show is that hope is eternal, that you should never give up, and always follow your dream.”
Please see DivinePerformingArts.org for more information.
Friends Read Free