ROCHESTER, N.Y.—Senator James Alesi was full of praise for Divine Performing Arts (DPA) Saturday evening performance at the Rochester Auditorium Theatre, but at intermission he did have one complaint.
“I’m sorry that it’s already halfway over, I’ve been enjoying the show so much.
“It’s spectacular—the colors, the performances, the choreography, and the conditioning of the performers is incredible,” he said.
Mr. Alesi has been a public servant for over 25 years, serving six terms in the New York State Senate for Monroe County and part of Rochester. A small business owner himself, Senator Alesi has chaired the Senate Committee on Commerce, Economic Development, and Small Business for eight years and among his long list of awards, the National Federation of Independent Business named him a “Guardian of Small Business” in 2005.
“The message of each scene, the performances and the music are gorgeous and beautiful. There’s a subtly to it all, but the story being told is very powerful.
“It’s a very powerful message coming through the dance and through the music and the choreography and the colors, all of it is just wonderful, world-class, and I’m really happy to see that we have it here in Rochester, and looking forward to having them come back again next year.”
Traditional Chinese culture revolved around a belief in the divine and the importance of cultivating virtue. According to the show’s program: “The guiding mission of Divine Performing Arts is to rediscover and renew humanity’s true, rightful cultural heritage. The company thus creates and performs works that center upon the true, divinely bestowed culture of humankind, and seeks to provide an experience of consummate beauty and goodness.”
One of the trademarks of DPA is a story-based dance that conveys the deeply moral and spiritual traditions of ancient China through dramatizing cherished Chinese legends as well as epic modern-day events. One of two dances dealing with contemporary China is called Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution, a dance that Senator Alesi said he understood very well.
The dance tells the tale of a father who is persecuted for practicing Falun Gong. The scenes that ultimately unfold in this dance present a message of hope and bespeak of a longstanding Chinese belief that good people are ultimately rewarded, even if not in this lifetime.
“I have friends that have introduced me to the Falun Gong or Falun Dafa, and I have some in-depth knowledge of that performance. It dealt with the authorities taking the peaceful existence of people and disrupting that and taking them away and ruining their family lives, and I understand that because I have relationships with people who have come to me with their difficulties,” he said.
While he enjoyed that performance, his favorite of all the numbers was Welcoming Spring, a jubilant piece that features quick footwork, crisp movements, and stunning bursts of color as the basis of a women’s fan dance.
“It comes through in such a dramatic way, because of the colors and the choreography and the music—all of those things brought together.
“Fans are so much an intrinsic part of Chinese culture and the Chinese arts. and the colors and the choreography in that particular dance were just absolutely beautiful. I know I should be saying I loved the drums and the men and all of the rest of the stuff and the drumming piece was a great way to bring the first half of this performance to this intermission and to get everyone all pumped up again, but I just think I reacted to the fan dance the best,” he said.
The dance Drummers of the Tang Court celebrates thunderous Tang drum 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.
Senator Alesi said he enjoyed the artistic elements of the show and the variety of messages expressed through the different pieces.
He said that his business background made him a committed advocate of the arts as a public figure, describing them as a “powerful economic tool,” but it was his personal love of the arts that made him such a strong proponent.
“I’m a very strong patron as a public figure, but also personally I’m a strong patron of the arts as well. You can pretty much figure any weekend I’ll be doing something and to have the privilege and pleasure of coming to this performance, it just makes it much better for me than if it were just a job and I had to be here.”
“This is world-class and it’s top-notch.” He said on a scale of one to five he would rate the show “at least a six.”
Senator Alesi has been a member of numerous community organizations and has served on the boards of directors of Mercy Flight, Big Brothers-Big Sisters, and Rochester Italian Charities.
He has been honored by numerous organizations, including the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and the Genesee Country Village and Museum, who recently awarded him the first Barber Benjamin Conable Jr. Award for Public Service in Support of Historical Preservation and Education.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Divine Performing Arts 2009 World Tour.
For more information, please visit DivinePerformingArts.org
“I’m sorry that it’s already halfway over, I’ve been enjoying the show so much.
“It’s spectacular—the colors, the performances, the choreography, and the conditioning of the performers is incredible,” he said.
Mr. Alesi has been a public servant for over 25 years, serving six terms in the New York State Senate for Monroe County and part of Rochester. A small business owner himself, Senator Alesi has chaired the Senate Committee on Commerce, Economic Development, and Small Business for eight years and among his long list of awards, the National Federation of Independent Business named him a “Guardian of Small Business” in 2005.
“The message of each scene, the performances and the music are gorgeous and beautiful. There’s a subtly to it all, but the story being told is very powerful.
“It’s a very powerful message coming through the dance and through the music and the choreography and the colors, all of it is just wonderful, world-class, and I’m really happy to see that we have it here in Rochester, and looking forward to having them come back again next year.”
Traditional Chinese culture revolved around a belief in the divine and the importance of cultivating virtue. According to the show’s program: “The guiding mission of Divine Performing Arts is to rediscover and renew humanity’s true, rightful cultural heritage. The company thus creates and performs works that center upon the true, divinely bestowed culture of humankind, and seeks to provide an experience of consummate beauty and goodness.”
One of the trademarks of DPA is a story-based dance that conveys the deeply moral and spiritual traditions of ancient China through dramatizing cherished Chinese legends as well as epic modern-day events. One of two dances dealing with contemporary China is called Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution, a dance that Senator Alesi said he understood very well.
The dance tells the tale of a father who is persecuted for practicing Falun Gong. The scenes that ultimately unfold in this dance present a message of hope and bespeak of a longstanding Chinese belief that good people are ultimately rewarded, even if not in this lifetime.
“I have friends that have introduced me to the Falun Gong or Falun Dafa, and I have some in-depth knowledge of that performance. It dealt with the authorities taking the peaceful existence of people and disrupting that and taking them away and ruining their family lives, and I understand that because I have relationships with people who have come to me with their difficulties,” he said.
While he enjoyed that performance, his favorite of all the numbers was Welcoming Spring, a jubilant piece that features quick footwork, crisp movements, and stunning bursts of color as the basis of a women’s fan dance.
“It comes through in such a dramatic way, because of the colors and the choreography and the music—all of those things brought together.
“Fans are so much an intrinsic part of Chinese culture and the Chinese arts. and the colors and the choreography in that particular dance were just absolutely beautiful. I know I should be saying I loved the drums and the men and all of the rest of the stuff and the drumming piece was a great way to bring the first half of this performance to this intermission and to get everyone all pumped up again, but I just think I reacted to the fan dance the best,” he said.
The dance Drummers of the Tang Court celebrates thunderous Tang drum 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.
Senator Alesi said he enjoyed the artistic elements of the show and the variety of messages expressed through the different pieces.
He said that his business background made him a committed advocate of the arts as a public figure, describing them as a “powerful economic tool,” but it was his personal love of the arts that made him such a strong proponent.
“I’m a very strong patron as a public figure, but also personally I’m a strong patron of the arts as well. You can pretty much figure any weekend I’ll be doing something and to have the privilege and pleasure of coming to this performance, it just makes it much better for me than if it were just a job and I had to be here.”
“This is world-class and it’s top-notch.” He said on a scale of one to five he would rate the show “at least a six.”
Senator Alesi has been a member of numerous community organizations and has served on the boards of directors of Mercy Flight, Big Brothers-Big Sisters, and Rochester Italian Charities.
He has been honored by numerous organizations, including the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and the Genesee Country Village and Museum, who recently awarded him the first Barber Benjamin Conable Jr. Award for Public Service in Support of Historical Preservation and Education.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Divine Performing Arts 2009 World Tour.
For more information, please visit DivinePerformingArts.org
