SARASOTA,Fla.—Some of the audience which attended the Divine Performing Arts show at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota on Dec. 22, 2008, had no previous exposure to traditional Chinese culture. Some were familiar with Chinese traditions to one degree or another.
Mr. Mason has a unique understanding of Chinese culture, because he works establishing Asian language programs at U.S. universities. Mr. Mason was between semesters in his studies at Tai Da Taiwan University, and decided to bring his grandmother Mary to see the Divine Performing Arts show.
When asked about which aspects of the show impressed him most, Mr. Mason responded, “The costumes, and the color of the costumes, the elegance of the dancers, and the beauty of the backdrop.
Mr. Mason was particularly impressed by the combination of technology and art that went into the backdrop.
“It’s amazing, because it was so bright. It was the first time I saw a computer-generated graphic produced by LCD that bright. I think it was LCD because you could see the smoke coming out; and that’s amazing too, I’ve never seen that before, either.”
Mr. Mason found an interesting coincidence regarding his Chinese name and the themes of the show.
“My Chinese name is Tang Ming Zun; and it’s funny because it’s based on Tang Ming Huang, and this is what two of the pieces were based on: Tang Ming Huang, a king of the Tang dynasty.”
Regarding his familiarity with Chinese dance and singing, Mr. Mason commented, “I know Peking Opera, but this is the first time seeing something like this.”
“I brought my grandmother,' Mr. Morgan continued. ”I wanted to introduce her to Chinese culture.”
His grandmother, Mary, described what impressed her most about the performance: “Well, the scenery was so amazing. And the girls, all the dancers were so flexible. It made me just want to get up and exercise.”
Please see http://www.DivinePerformingArts.org for more information.
