PASADENA, Calif.—Ancient Chinese legends, modern stories, dances, and music continued to enthrall audiences attending the Divine Performing Arts (DPA) Chinese New Year Spectacular, held at Pasadena Civic Auditorium from Dec. 30 to Jan. 4.
Among the audience members were a business owner, a gymnastic instructor, and a retired project coordinator.
Store owner, Mr. Henry Wong’s favorite was The Monkey King Triumphs, because he already knew something of its history.
“Its easy to understand when you know the history of it. You know, I’m Chinese and a lot of Chinese history I’ve forgotten or wasn’t one hundred percent clear on,” he said.
Mr. Wong grew up in Vietnam, and said he has remained in touch with his Chinese ancestry mostly through reading, but the performance must have jogged an inner knowing.
“Most of the dances remind me of what I know about the Chinese culture and civilization,” he said, noting that this show was “not usual.”
New Year’s Eve was a night to remember for a gymnastic coach, Diane, who really enjoyed the choreography. She was enthusiastic about the dancing, the music, and the drama.
When asked if she liked the show, she said; “Oh yes, absolutely! I thought the show was stunning, the colors and the choreography. What I loved about it was that it told a story—it’s from a different culture. The culture and the characters ... represent a true storyline. I’ve never been to anything like this, especially on New Year’s Eve, so it was really nice to see. Basically, I have to say that the storyline and the colors and the choreography were stunning. I absolutely loved the characters in the storyline, it showed a true story, and we really enjoyed it.
The dancers? “Oh my goodness, it was absolutely gorgeous, I love the choreography, the turns and the leaps. That’s why I really enjoyed it, because of the choreography.”
And the music? “The music really went well with … the storyline. I like it very much. Visually, it’s just very, very beautiful. Just the whole overall performance. Everything is so uniform and so well done. There is so much talent. Just lovely.”
Carla Chader, who used to work for a large company as a project coordinator before retiring five years ago, went to see the Spectacular on Jan. 3.
“Visually it’s just very, very beautiful. Everything is so uniform, and it is so well done. There is so much talent. Just lovely.”
She thought the visual effects that helped tell a story, such as Monk Ji Gong Abducts the Bride, was interesting.
“Very nice, very interesting the way it’s done with the screens, and the visual effects in the back. That is clever. I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
But the story conveyed to her a message “In spite of everything that’s bad out in the world, there is a lot of good that one should hope for and that one should really aspire to.”
As for “Mulan Joins the Battle,” the tale of a woman going into battle and returning home victorious, she said: “Yes, that was interesting the way that was represented, I had no idea that that’s the way it was.
She recalled reading the book with her grandchildren, “but it’s a Disney version—not that one. So that’s … different.”
Visiting China in 1995, Ms. Cader said she had seen some stage performances.
“Well, the shows in China would not have had any of the content that you have in this. I don’t think they would show this kind of show in China, would they?”
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Divine Performing Arts International Tour.
For more information, please see divineperformingarts.org
Among the audience members were a business owner, a gymnastic instructor, and a retired project coordinator.
Store owner, Mr. Henry Wong’s favorite was The Monkey King Triumphs, because he already knew something of its history.
“Its easy to understand when you know the history of it. You know, I’m Chinese and a lot of Chinese history I’ve forgotten or wasn’t one hundred percent clear on,” he said.
Mr. Wong grew up in Vietnam, and said he has remained in touch with his Chinese ancestry mostly through reading, but the performance must have jogged an inner knowing.
“Most of the dances remind me of what I know about the Chinese culture and civilization,” he said, noting that this show was “not usual.”
New Year’s Eve was a night to remember for a gymnastic coach, Diane, who really enjoyed the choreography. She was enthusiastic about the dancing, the music, and the drama.
When asked if she liked the show, she said; “Oh yes, absolutely! I thought the show was stunning, the colors and the choreography. What I loved about it was that it told a story—it’s from a different culture. The culture and the characters ... represent a true storyline. I’ve never been to anything like this, especially on New Year’s Eve, so it was really nice to see. Basically, I have to say that the storyline and the colors and the choreography were stunning. I absolutely loved the characters in the storyline, it showed a true story, and we really enjoyed it.
The dancers? “Oh my goodness, it was absolutely gorgeous, I love the choreography, the turns and the leaps. That’s why I really enjoyed it, because of the choreography.”
And the music? “The music really went well with … the storyline. I like it very much. Visually, it’s just very, very beautiful. Just the whole overall performance. Everything is so uniform and so well done. There is so much talent. Just lovely.”
Carla Chader, who used to work for a large company as a project coordinator before retiring five years ago, went to see the Spectacular on Jan. 3.
“Visually it’s just very, very beautiful. Everything is so uniform, and it is so well done. There is so much talent. Just lovely.”
She thought the visual effects that helped tell a story, such as Monk Ji Gong Abducts the Bride, was interesting.
“Very nice, very interesting the way it’s done with the screens, and the visual effects in the back. That is clever. I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
But the story conveyed to her a message “In spite of everything that’s bad out in the world, there is a lot of good that one should hope for and that one should really aspire to.”
As for “Mulan Joins the Battle,” the tale of a woman going into battle and returning home victorious, she said: “Yes, that was interesting the way that was represented, I had no idea that that’s the way it was.
She recalled reading the book with her grandchildren, “but it’s a Disney version—not that one. So that’s … different.”
Visiting China in 1995, Ms. Cader said she had seen some stage performances.
“Well, the shows in China would not have had any of the content that you have in this. I don’t think they would show this kind of show in China, would they?”
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Divine Performing Arts International Tour.
For more information, please see divineperformingarts.org
