PASADENA, Calif.—School principal, Mr. Joseph, felt a connection with the message that Divine Performing Arts portrayed in their showcase of ancient Chinese culture through music and dance last weekend.
“I feel that it is a very beautiful show it really resonates with me, especially with the color, the orchestra, and the Buddhist messages.”
He said that although he was raised in America, he has had a lot to do with Buddhist teachings, and one of dances stood out for him because of that.
“The [dance] which had to do with the modern day guy who was killed—that really resonated with me. I think that ... stretched across all religions cultures, it was universal. Someone that is a good person and then dies unexpectedly—it was not a good way to die, but they get their just rewards later on. It really spans a universal gap.”
Mr. Joseph refers to a dance, Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution, wherein a young girl’s father is tortured to death for practicing Falun Gong. The dance is a depiction of reality in China today that under the communist regime has persecuted millions of Falun Gong practitioners since 1999.
He said the explanations of the stories in a historical context helped him gain a higher understanding of them.
“I liked the drunken poet [The Poet’s Vision]. I think because there is another universal theme there. Even though he is flawed as a human being, even though he has this weakness of being a drunkard, he creates this beautiful poetry, so that is another thing—all of us have flaws and weakness, but it does not mean to say that we can’t create beauty.”
Another theatergoer who enjoyed The Poet’s Vision was writer Mr. Shuman.
“It had a vitality that I liked,” he said. “The character was interesting in his being out of it, and then to normalize, and then going back to being drunk.”
Mr. Shuman is working on a book about Pakistan based on its history and his 30 years of experience. His wife does oil painting, and is starting to work with acrylics and watercolor.
He said each scene was different, and the themes were prominent. “But they all kind of came together into one—into a unity.”
Mrs. Shuman was impressed with the backdrop. “Each time I see this beautiful background [in the show], I say oh my God, why start on one of my paintings! It’s quite a show,” she said.
“The graciousness was so beautiful, for me, that is very Chinese. They are athletic, the dancers, the colorfulness, the energy, I love it.”
The Divine Performing Arts International Company held eight shows at the Pasadena Civic Theater to bring in the 2009 New Year.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Divine Performing Arts International Tour.
For more information, please see divineperformingarts.org
“I feel that it is a very beautiful show it really resonates with me, especially with the color, the orchestra, and the Buddhist messages.”
He said that although he was raised in America, he has had a lot to do with Buddhist teachings, and one of dances stood out for him because of that.
“The [dance] which had to do with the modern day guy who was killed—that really resonated with me. I think that ... stretched across all religions cultures, it was universal. Someone that is a good person and then dies unexpectedly—it was not a good way to die, but they get their just rewards later on. It really spans a universal gap.”
Mr. Joseph refers to a dance, Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution, wherein a young girl’s father is tortured to death for practicing Falun Gong. The dance is a depiction of reality in China today that under the communist regime has persecuted millions of Falun Gong practitioners since 1999.
He said the explanations of the stories in a historical context helped him gain a higher understanding of them.
“I liked the drunken poet [The Poet’s Vision]. I think because there is another universal theme there. Even though he is flawed as a human being, even though he has this weakness of being a drunkard, he creates this beautiful poetry, so that is another thing—all of us have flaws and weakness, but it does not mean to say that we can’t create beauty.”
A Writer and a Painter Enjoy the Unity
Another theatergoer who enjoyed The Poet’s Vision was writer Mr. Shuman.
“It had a vitality that I liked,” he said. “The character was interesting in his being out of it, and then to normalize, and then going back to being drunk.”
Mr. Shuman is working on a book about Pakistan based on its history and his 30 years of experience. His wife does oil painting, and is starting to work with acrylics and watercolor.
He said each scene was different, and the themes were prominent. “But they all kind of came together into one—into a unity.”
Mrs. Shuman was impressed with the backdrop. “Each time I see this beautiful background [in the show], I say oh my God, why start on one of my paintings! It’s quite a show,” she said.
“The graciousness was so beautiful, for me, that is very Chinese. They are athletic, the dancers, the colorfulness, the energy, I love it.”
The Divine Performing Arts International Company held eight shows at the Pasadena Civic Theater to bring in the 2009 New Year.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Divine Performing Arts International Tour.
For more information, please see divineperformingarts.org
