INDIANAPOLIS—Countertenor and Grammy Award-winning artist and professor Dr. White was at the Divine Performing Arts (DPA) New Year Spectacular held Jan. 31 at the Murat Theatre in Indianapolis.
“I’m enjoying it very much, particularly the precision of the dancers. Everything is very, very stylized, a particular style that I’m not used to seeing,” he said. “It’s wonderful to see the different Chinese dance movements.”
He explained how Chinese classical dance extends beyond ballet: “There are certain movements that we won’t see in classical Western ballet, specifically hand movements that happen, and there are certain ways in which people move their body bowing from the waist, rather than keeping everything very straight.”
However, the professor was even more “touched” seeing young Chinese-American people performing on stage; particularly by reconnecting with the rich Chinese past within his own country, the United States.
“Traditional stories created either through music, dance ... those types of things are something we don’t get to experience very often. So to have this type of company touring in the country is very, very important.”
New York-based DPA celebrates China’s divinely-inspired culture in classical dance and music, the dramatization of ancient legends of heroism, and modern day stories of courage.
World-class performers, stunning costumes and backdrops, powerful drum rhythms, and a full orchestra enthrall audiences wherever they perform.
“We in this country can’t imagine what it would be like to have someone say you cannot dance, you cannot sing, in a specific way, or specific style. To have this shared with so many people is just wonderful,” Dr. White said.
He was referring to China’s communist regime discouraging certain cultural traditions. To have young people interested in keeping the traditions alive was very important, he said.
Among a long list of accolades, Dr. White has sung eight seasons with the internationally acclaimed ensemble, Chanticleer, with whom he traveled to over 40 states and 15 countries.
Sought after as an interpreter of Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque repertoire, Dr. White has appeared at national and international “Early Music” festivals and has sung under the batons of Christopher Hogwood, Nicholas McGegan, Donald Burrows, and Bruno Weill.
“I hear a lot of Asian intervals that I’ve become familiar with, and I also hear a lot of the Western harmony that has been brought into the Chinese culture,” he said of the original compositions played by the DPA Orchestra
“The singing is unique to China. It’s a wonderful traditional sound. From what I understand there’s a tradition in China of singing from a very young age that we in the West don’t encourage. There’s a sincerity, a deep sympathy within the singer that you can feel.
“When you’re a native singing your own native song, it means a lot more, so you can see and feel that in the performance you are hearing. There’s a desire to share the sound, to share the song, to share the tradition, the culture in the meaning of the text that’s there.”
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Divine Performing Arts. Please see DivinePerformingArts.org for more information.
