PASADENA, Calif.—A local couple were amongst the audience who were enthralled by the final performance of The Divine Performing Arts (DPA) International Company at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Los Angeles on Sunday, Jan. 4 as part of their 2009 World Tour.
Mr. and Mrs. Noceti were sitting in the front row of the audience beside the orchestra and said they were blown away by what they saw and heard.
“Outstanding,“ Mr. Noceti, a longshoreman, said. ”The exposure to the culture, the dance, the emotional content of the dances and the script, it’s just new.
“The choreography is outstanding. I was impressed. Especially with ... the overall choreography of everything; the flips, the one hand cartwheels with the weapons. The emotional content and the cultural-ism, is what I think sets the precedent.”
Mrs. Noceti, a nursing student at a local University and of Chinese descent, added, “The history that it brings and how it reintroduces people to remind them how that history’s evolved into now, something about how it explains the history and culture to those of us that don’t know anything about it. It’s a wonderful thing.”
When asked about their feelings as the show progressed Mrs. Noceti said, “I was speechless, God, all kinds of emotions.” Mr. Noceti added, “Yeah, I was already crying, yeah, the persecuted father one got me [Persecuted on a Sacred Path].”
Mrs. Noceti also added, “But it evokes happiness, but then at the same time it evokes curiosity, curiosity about the history. You think you know the history, but when you really see it, there are a lot of things that you weren’t exposed to in school. Until you really see how it’s interpreted, you’re like, ‘Oh, that’s interesting.’ It feels new to me. I’m half Chinese, and you‘d think you’d have some sort of knowledge, but this is almost like it’s all brand new to me. It touches areas that I haven’t been exposed to.”
Mr. Noceti felt that there was an underlying beauty of spirit and essence of the performances which makes the DPA show stand out above other shows, he explained, “My understanding is that what makes this show distinct, isn’t technique and flair, which is at a very high level, but it’s the spirit and essence of the show that comes out of the dancers on the stage. It’s not like anywhere else.”
“They have a sense of an attachment, a passion for what they’re doing and they believe in it. It reflects in their work effort, that’s for sure.
Mrs. Noceti agreed with her husband’s understanding and perception of the performances. “Yup. It’s very true. You can tell the difference between a performance with someone who has to do it and someone who loves to do it. You could see in their facial expressions, their passion … they want to practice, what they sacrifice and all that stuff, it’s really heart-touching.”
“I’m glad I came. I wanted to come to this last year. This year I was like, I’m doing it, I don’t care, I’m doing it. He’s not a show man,” referring to her husband.
When asked what attracted the couple to the show Mrs. Noceti replied “You know what, actually? I don’t know what it was. I know from last year when I saw this show, when I saw little clips of it, and I just liked it. The color, and I don’t know what it was, it just popped at me. It was like, you know what? I’ve got to go. When I clicked on the review, that got me into it. The music, the color, the dance, you could just see some of those things.”
Mr. Noceti added, “I saw an advertisement of this show, but it didn’t do it justice. [commercial on TV] Nothing, nothing like what you experience here.”
Mr. Noceti and Mrs. Noceti were interviewed at interval and they were reminded that there was another half of the show yet to be seen, Mr. Noceti responded, “I’m glad. I could leave right now and be happy. I know, I know, I can’t wait.”
The Epoch Times is the proud sponsor of the Divine Performing Arts. Please see DivinePerformingArts.org for more information.
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