ROCHESTER, N.Y.— Divine Performing Arts (DPA) earned standing ovations at both of its Rochester shows on Saturday, Feb. 21. Among the enthusiastic audience members were Mr. and Mrs. Gillman.
Mr. Gillman is town supervisor of a small town outside of Rochester. He enjoyed all aspects of the Chinese cultural show, but was particularly impressed by the music.
“Love it, love it. It’s great. Really adds a lot more to it. The live orchestra kind of ties you into it better than something that is off a record or off a CD, I like it a lot better,” he said.
The DPA orchestra begins with a classical Western orchestra as its foundation and augments this with traditional Chinese instruments.
Mrs. Gillman was also impressed. “Oh, I love it,” she replied when asked how she liked the show. Mrs. Gillman said her favorite programs were those with drums.
For Mr. Gillman, it was more about the movements. “I like the dancing. When the girls first came out and the first scene … I enjoy the culture. I love the culture.
“I think Chinese culture seems to pay more respect to the past and tries to bring it to the future, where Americans kind of live from day-to-day in a lot of respects.” He said those cultural values really added to the show. “I think it’s good. I don’t get a chance to see a lot of this, but I enjoy it when I do … I think the moral standard is great. There should be more of it.” He added that he has a deep admiration for traditional Chinese culture, and he appreciated the opportunity to share that with his wife.
Also attending the performance was art teacher and artist Ms. Welch. “The dancing was beautiful, the costumes were lovely. [It was a] very interesting look at a part of Chinese culture that we don’t get to see or hear much about. A nice spiritual side to it, besides the entertainment element, so I found it very enlightening.”
Ms. Welch, who also makes ceramic sculpture, said the poses of the dancers were reminiscent of ancient sculptures she had seen in the past. “Very beautiful. The connection to the Tang Dynasty, the positions of the bodies, you see those in sculptures from so many years ago so there was a nice historical connection.”
“It is the first time we have seen a show like this,” she said. “I liked the drumming; I liked the one about the flower [The Udumbara’s Bloom], I like that very much.”
One of the dances in this year’s DPA that featured drummers was Drummers of the Tang Court.
The thunderous Tang drum was born during the most prosperous and celebrated period of Chinese civilization, the great Tang Dynasty. Drums would sometimes accompany soldiers into battle, relaying commands, boosting morale, and evincing power.
Her other favorite, The Udumbara’s Bloom, is based on the legendary Udumbara flower of Buddhist lore, which blossoms 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, the bejeweled dancers in this piece take inspiration from the Buddhist in a display of reverent beauty.
“Beautiful, very beautiful. And the dancing was superb.”
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Divine Performing Arts.
For more information please visit DivinePerformingArts.org
Mr. Gillman is town supervisor of a small town outside of Rochester. He enjoyed all aspects of the Chinese cultural show, but was particularly impressed by the music.
“Love it, love it. It’s great. Really adds a lot more to it. The live orchestra kind of ties you into it better than something that is off a record or off a CD, I like it a lot better,” he said.
The DPA orchestra begins with a classical Western orchestra as its foundation and augments this with traditional Chinese instruments.
Mrs. Gillman was also impressed. “Oh, I love it,” she replied when asked how she liked the show. Mrs. Gillman said her favorite programs were those with drums.
For Mr. Gillman, it was more about the movements. “I like the dancing. When the girls first came out and the first scene … I enjoy the culture. I love the culture.
“I think Chinese culture seems to pay more respect to the past and tries to bring it to the future, where Americans kind of live from day-to-day in a lot of respects.” He said those cultural values really added to the show. “I think it’s good. I don’t get a chance to see a lot of this, but I enjoy it when I do … I think the moral standard is great. There should be more of it.” He added that he has a deep admiration for traditional Chinese culture, and he appreciated the opportunity to share that with his wife.
Also attending the performance was art teacher and artist Ms. Welch. “The dancing was beautiful, the costumes were lovely. [It was a] very interesting look at a part of Chinese culture that we don’t get to see or hear much about. A nice spiritual side to it, besides the entertainment element, so I found it very enlightening.”
Ms. Welch, who also makes ceramic sculpture, said the poses of the dancers were reminiscent of ancient sculptures she had seen in the past. “Very beautiful. The connection to the Tang Dynasty, the positions of the bodies, you see those in sculptures from so many years ago so there was a nice historical connection.”
“It is the first time we have seen a show like this,” she said. “I liked the drumming; I liked the one about the flower [The Udumbara’s Bloom], I like that very much.”
One of the dances in this year’s DPA that featured drummers was Drummers of the Tang Court.
The thunderous Tang drum was born during the most prosperous and celebrated period of Chinese civilization, the great Tang Dynasty. Drums would sometimes accompany soldiers into battle, relaying commands, boosting morale, and evincing power.
Her other favorite, The Udumbara’s Bloom, is based on the legendary Udumbara flower of Buddhist lore, which blossoms 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, the bejeweled dancers in this piece take inspiration from the Buddhist in a display of reverent beauty.
“Beautiful, very beautiful. And the dancing was superb.”
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Divine Performing Arts.
For more information please visit DivinePerformingArts.org
