SAN DIEGO, Cal.—Joe, a retired navy officer, believes the Divine Performing Arts (DPA) has an important role to play in bringing back traditional Chinese culture. He saw the DPA International Company with his wife, Linda, in San Diego, Dec. 27.
“I see they’re trying to bring back the old culture that was lost in China,” he said. “I think it’s very, very important in the world today to bring back these old cultures and traditions and we put value on them and make our world more compatible with the old ways and the traditions.”
Linda, who had a connection with China, as her father passed away there when she was young, also valued the revival of traditional Chinese culture saying she understood the importance of knowing where a culture comes from.
“I liked the dancing and the expression they have for the story,” she said. “I have .. read a lot of books about the stories they are dancing too, and I think its really neat to come up with something like that and to show not only Americans, but over the world, that there is something [to Chinese culture].”
Joe said he also liked the dancing and noticed particularly the difference in way the Chinese male and female dancers interacted on stage compared to Western performances.
“Well you don’t see the flow and the harmony that you see here—the male and female working together ...In western cultures, and other European, its opposite—one wants to dominate the other—that’s why this show is so strong … the expression and the energy comes out very prominently.”
Joe said the DPA performances reflected the values of a divine culture which he believed should involve “love and charity,” and “being able to get along with your fellow man regardless of that person’s shortcomings, regardless of their failures or their beliefs or their inability to get along with you.”
A lot of traveling and teaching over the 24 years he was in the navy had given him a good understanding of how to deliver a message, Joe said. The DPA, he believed had been effective in delivering their message.
“Yah I think they’re doing a fine, fine job and they just need to work on it and keep on going and don’t let anybody put them down, cause this is the essence that they need, the whole world needs ..they really do.”
“You can recommend this to any walk of life,” he added, and then, with a laugh, “it should get on TV … on the CCTV channel.”
The DPA International Company will hold two more performances in San Diego, one on Saturday evening Dec. 27 at 7 p.m. and the final performance at 2 p.m. Sunday Dec. 28
Please see DivinePerformingArts. org for more information.
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