ST. LOUIS—On Feb. 7, Divine Performing Arts (DPA) performed at the Touhill Performing Arts Center in St. Louis as part of its 2009 world tour. It won the acclaim of both Eastern and Western members of the audience. Mr. Greg Harley, who owns a real estate company, was among those moved by the show.
This is the first time Mr. Harley has seen a show that has featured the Chinese performing arts.
“I thought it was very profound, entertaining, and sent me soul-searching a little bit with the spirituality of it in the theme.”
Ms. Reeder is an executive assistant for Mr. Harley’s company. For her, too, it is the first time she has seen a traditional Chinese show. “The show was so beautiful, it touched me and brought me to tears.”
Ms. Reeder is from Vietnam and was brought up on dancing from an early age, until later in her youth. “I actually experienced some of this when I was younger, but it was not comparable to what they did. It was just magnificent!”
Despite her experience as a dancer, she thought that it was amazing how synchronized all the dancers were. “They moved together so smoothly, they made it flow so well,” she said,
“The music was very touching, very spiritual, and very heart wrenching.” Her favorite item in the program was The Udumbara’s Bloom.
The legendary Udumbara flower of Buddhist lore blossoms but once every three thousand years. Rich with spiritual import, its unfolding is said to herald the coming of a great sage or enlightened being. True to the legend’s origins, these bejeweled dancers in this item take inspiration from the Buddhist Dunhuang caves of Western China as well as Indian dance in a sumptuous display of reverent beauty.
Ms. Reeder was amazed by the beauty of the backdrops.
The backdrops used for each DPA show bring Chinese classical dance into the 21st century. They give visual depth and grandeur to each scene. Many of these backdrops are animated. This makes it possible for flowers to wave in the breeze and for snow to fall gently from the sky.
“I liked it very much because it made it feel like there was a divinity, a spirituality that brought you into it and made you feel like you are moving along with what’s in the background.”
Both Mr. Harley and Ms. Reeder look forward to next year’s show.
For more information, please see DivinePerformingArts.org
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