DENVER—Mayor of the City of Westminster, Nancy McNally, was at the Denver Performing Arts Complex to see the Divine Performing Arts (DPA) Chinese New Year Spectacular on Jan. 31.
She enjoyed every morsel of the smorgasbord of entertainment. “Fantastic—every piece is choreographed so wonderfully. If you watch their hands each piece means so much, you can’t take it all in. The costuming is beautiful, their grace is just fantastic,” she said.
Mayor McNally noticed the enthralled reactions of a nearby child sitting next to her: “There was a little one sitting right in front of us thoroughly enjoying everything.
“The last piece … she was very moved by that,” she said referring to a dance called Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution, presents the story of a daughter whose father is killed for his belief in the spiritual practice Falun Gong.
A father in the audience who “was spellbound by the performance and the costumes,” had a special reason for taking his two children to see a show of universal virtues displayed in a blend of tradition and contemporary performance.
Neurologist Dr. Kakkar from India and his Nebraskan-born wife, promised their two adopted Chinese children that they would be exposed to their culture at any given opportunity.
“The kids were very attentive. They really liked the show, the themes, the songs and the [pageantry]—it was a beautiful show. I loved all of them. There’s no one performance that I liked more than the other,” he said.
The story-based dances are inspired from ancient legends of heroism and modern day stories of courage which many audience members enjoy.
Eight-year-old Belina enjoyed Mulan Joins the Battle—a tale of upholding loyalty to one’s parents and one’s country. “An excellent theme,” said Dr. Kakkar, drawing similarities from his own Indian background.
Dr. Kakkar said that he particularly enjoyed the dance The Monkey King Triumphs, which is from a famous legend in China that depicts a Buddhist monk traveling to India in search of scriptures.
Mrs. Kakkar, who manages an aesthetic clinic, “loved” the Tang dynasty costumes in the dance, Flowing Sleeves.
“It was beautiful; the costumes were gorgeous. It was such a fabulous production,” she said.
She was amazed by grand finale, Knowing the True Picture Offers Ultimate Hope, with great array of colors within it, and how the themes throughout the evening’s program culminated at the end.
“It was very peaceful—there was something very soothing about it that tied it all together, I liked that a lot,” she said
“Never have I seen anything like it. All of the dances tell a story that was understandable,” she said. “You could tell from the dancing what it was, and the symbolism, and I do like the Buddha coming into it.”
Dr. Kakkar agreed, saying that the positive messages conveyed would help people understand China, the ll about, what the music is all about, what it means and what the future holds.
“When we adopted them (Belina and six-year-old Michael) it was a promise to them and China that we'll expose them to Chinese culture, and [educate] ourselves as well,” he said—a promise the proud parents aim to keep.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Divine Performing Arts. Please see DivinePerformingArts.org for more information.
She enjoyed every morsel of the smorgasbord of entertainment. “Fantastic—every piece is choreographed so wonderfully. If you watch their hands each piece means so much, you can’t take it all in. The costuming is beautiful, their grace is just fantastic,” she said.
Mayor McNally noticed the enthralled reactions of a nearby child sitting next to her: “There was a little one sitting right in front of us thoroughly enjoying everything.
“The last piece … she was very moved by that,” she said referring to a dance called Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution, presents the story of a daughter whose father is killed for his belief in the spiritual practice Falun Gong.
A father in the audience who “was spellbound by the performance and the costumes,” had a special reason for taking his two children to see a show of universal virtues displayed in a blend of tradition and contemporary performance.
Neurologist Dr. Kakkar from India and his Nebraskan-born wife, promised their two adopted Chinese children that they would be exposed to their culture at any given opportunity.
“The kids were very attentive. They really liked the show, the themes, the songs and the [pageantry]—it was a beautiful show. I loved all of them. There’s no one performance that I liked more than the other,” he said.
The story-based dances are inspired from ancient legends of heroism and modern day stories of courage which many audience members enjoy.
Eight-year-old Belina enjoyed Mulan Joins the Battle—a tale of upholding loyalty to one’s parents and one’s country. “An excellent theme,” said Dr. Kakkar, drawing similarities from his own Indian background.
Dr. Kakkar said that he particularly enjoyed the dance The Monkey King Triumphs, which is from a famous legend in China that depicts a Buddhist monk traveling to India in search of scriptures.
Mrs. Kakkar, who manages an aesthetic clinic, “loved” the Tang dynasty costumes in the dance, Flowing Sleeves.
“It was beautiful; the costumes were gorgeous. It was such a fabulous production,” she said.
She was amazed by grand finale, Knowing the True Picture Offers Ultimate Hope, with great array of colors within it, and how the themes throughout the evening’s program culminated at the end.
“It was very peaceful—there was something very soothing about it that tied it all together, I liked that a lot,” she said
“Never have I seen anything like it. All of the dances tell a story that was understandable,” she said. “You could tell from the dancing what it was, and the symbolism, and I do like the Buddha coming into it.”
Dr. Kakkar agreed, saying that the positive messages conveyed would help people understand China, the ll about, what the music is all about, what it means and what the future holds.
“When we adopted them (Belina and six-year-old Michael) it was a promise to them and China that we'll expose them to Chinese culture, and [educate] ourselves as well,” he said—a promise the proud parents aim to keep.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Divine Performing Arts. Please see DivinePerformingArts.org for more information.
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