WASHINGTON—On Friday evening Feb. 13, the Divine Performing Arts (DPA) New York Company presented its fourth performance at the Kennedy Center of Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. to a full house once again. A Chinese performing artist among the audience was so impressed with DPA, she returned to see the show a second time.
Wang Shuting (a pseudonym) graduated as a classical Chinese major from Beijing Dance Academy. She said the DPA ‘s performance was the best show she had ever seen: “It’s not enough to watch it once. The more I watch, the more I like the show,” she said excitedly.
“This is exactly the feeling I am looking for. This is exactly the realm I dream of achieving.”
Ms. Wang said she had won prestigious dance awards, but for personal reasons, she had to leave the stage which she loved. The DPA show, however, had opened her eyes to many new things about dance.
“I finally understand the true meaning of dance. To perform righteous dance, one must have a righteous mind. A pure mind makes pure dance. That is how you broaden your creative path.
“From the fundamental to advanced dance movements, the tumbling techniques, the dancers’ physical coordination and control and the beautiful rhythm and tempo of their movements; from the dancers’ portrait of the characters and the characters’ emotions, to the expression of the overall dance theme; from the costumes, stage props, music, tempo, lighting, and background; from the ethnic atmosphere in the dance to the spirit and grace in their movements, everything was perfect and very eye-catching.
“The dancers have a very good control over speed, weight, length, and power. It is very fluid. They rendered a very harmonious effect.
“They have also done a very good job in interpreting the characters. They put a lot of attention to details in terms of expressing the emotions. Every hand gesture, every movement, every look and every turn have a very natural elegance. Every shake of the shoulder, every bend, every turn of wrist, every shake of the sleeves, and every detail shows their solid training.
“More importantly, the entire performance and each dance in it expressed a main theme and a soul,” she continued, digging deeper in her search for what had made these performances so meaningful for her. “They do not dance for the sake of dancing. Instead, they express a message and spirit that is beyond words. This is exactly what’s so great about classical Chinese dance.
“Divine Performing Arts’ dance not only exhibits advanced dance movements, but also emphasizes the perfection of overall coordination. It is rich, diverse, and high in contrasts. There are a lot of contrasts in stillness and movements, softness and power, and fast and slow tempo.” Ms. Wang said.
“For example, there are many unified group movements in Dance of the Snow-Capped Mountain that display a unified, simple and harmonious beauty of order. But there are also lead dancers’ solos in it that express liveliness, joy, and excitement.”
Ms. Wang elaborated on the use of tempo throughout the performances. “It is very challenging to deliver a feeling of tempo with so many different roles and dances. Their dance brings people into a realm and shows many different characters’ personalities. It is achieved by a refined control of tempo. Through the change of tempo, the dance transitions into different thought and emotion changes, as well as scenes.”
“For example, there was a group of people running and chasing after the monk Ji Gong in Monk Ji Gong Abducts the Bride, and it was ingenious. All of a sudden giant rocks fell down. Following the giant rumbling was an absolute stillness. That was a still scene, contrasting the shock of disaster. Next, when the monk Ji Gong reappeared, people were filled with gratitude for him. The contrast of stillness and action is what is unique about classical Chinese dance. All the characters were brought to life and transported the audience into the story.”
To Perform Righteous Dance, One Must Be Righteous at Heart
Ms. Wang said, “The Divine Performing Arts’ dances reveal that those dancers have a pure and kind heart. Beauty does not come from the outside, but from within. They are very focused and have a good understanding of the characters they play. They have a thorough understanding of the content and theme of the dance. They dance with their body and mind. They incorporate their heart into their breathing. From inside out they deliver energy and life that naturally flow to the audience. It is a feeling beyond words. I finally understand it: To perform righteous dance, one must be righteous at heart. Only with a pure heart will one’s dance be righteous and will one be able to broaden one’s path in the arts.”
The experienced dancer said she may have been a seasoned classical dance artist for many years, but she has never been able to project such a realm in her performance.
“Art does not allow anything that is not genuine. If your spiritual quality is not high enough, you won’t be able to deliver art that is so touching.
“I have tried to play an ancient Chinese lady. I tried to deliver a feeling of soft, feminine beauty. But I was never happy with my performance. I felt like a fraud. Now that I have watched the show, I finally realized what was wrong.
“Art touches people when it is real. It is not about techniques. The performers of Divine Performing Arts play themselves. The characters are in their heart. That is why they are so natural in every character they play. Those women they play are very beautiful yet very pure and elegant. They are not flirtatious. They are amiable yet respectable. The bride in Monk Ji Gong Abducts the Bride is shy, yet natural and elegant. A natural movement shows what’s on her mind. She does not try to flirt or please the audience, nor does she try to stand out. All the costumes are fantastic, but they do not follow the current trend of revealing skin or go after shock value. The costumes are just as elegant as the dance. It surpasses the conventional performance. It is higher in quality.”
Mainland China’s Dance Has Strayed
Ms. Wang said Chinese dancers from the mainland were technically proficient, but they had lost their way.
“There are too many dancers in China. One dancer has better technique than the previous one. Chinese people are hardworking, diligent, and willing to put in time and practice. However, many dancers in China feel they are not getting it because they cannot attain the realm they want. The root cause is that they have strayed. Both in dance and costume, they pursue details and forget about what’s really important. They try to please the crowd and the contents are becoming dark, corrupted, and ugly. Some dances are ghostly and horrid.
“For example, you follow your dance instructor to perform a dance routine, but you just feel it does not have spirit. It is not just about controlling the tempo, power, and softness of every dance movement. More importantly, it is about your own personality, spirit, and your understanding of dance. In other words, techniques are the foundation. You cannot dance without a solid foundation. However, good foundation does not guarantee that you will dance well. Technique is not the essence of dance. Without a soul, even a dancer with the greatest technique will not dance well.
“Dance is a performing art that incorporates music, costume, and [set] background. Art is about delivering beauty and nurturing people’s morality. It is not just entertainment. From the perspective of artistic value and cultural content, classical Chinese dance has a great potential to be the leading dance form in the world. Because of its excellent techniques, pure mission statement, and superb spiritual quality, Divine Performing Arts will become outstanding. It will attain an even higher realm and become bigger and better. I believe that Divine Performing Arts Company that inherits and develop classical Chinese dance shall lead the world dance towards a brand new direction and create a new world of dance.”
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