NEW YORK—The Divine Performing Arts opened a fresh window into traditional Chinese culture for Ms. Anton. She is from East Germany, and is also an independent filmmaker who has worked in Beijing as a German reporter. In the eighties, while in East Berlin, she fled to West Berlin and spent two years in jail during the process.
Ms. Anton said she loved the performance.
“I also liked the combination of the Chinese music and western music and of course it was very pretty. I think every woman will go on a diet to look like these dancers. So precious, so beautiful.”
The music of the Divine Performing Arts Orchestra has its foundation in Western classical music. This is supplemented with traditional Chinese music to create something unique.
Ms. Anton was impressed by the different backgrounds and the manner in which those backgrounds transformed quickly from one to another. She also thought that the show was just the right length.
“It was not too lengthy, you know people get bored quickly and that didn’t happen either, no it was wonderful,” she said.
Ms. Anton responded to the two dances that told stories about the persecution of Falun Dafa. She believes that people in the West have been taken in by the Olympics in China and think that China has become one of them. She believes that the mainstream media does not fully report the truth about China. Hence, she thinks that shows like the Divine Performing Arts can help people learn what is happening there.
She has lived in a communist country and spoke about the norms that governed that society.
‘The moment you question certain things, or have your own idea about how you want to live, then you’re in trouble. And that can easily be studying something that they don’t want you to study or wanting to travel to a country that they don’t want you to travel to, or talking to the wrong people.’
Her experiences as a reporter in China gave her an insight into that society.
“It was tough. China in the early 90’s was tough. Especially traveling outside the city areas, because it was very, very rural. The people were very, very poor.”
Ms. Anton hopes that people become aware of the deep cultural heritage that has been lost to the world and start restoring it. She believes that shows like this one help to do that.
“I have the pleasure of having a friend who also grew up in communism in Beijing before she came here. So we share that passion about bringing awareness to the Western world about what we have come from and so this is one step.”
She believes that the world needs to take more steps in this direction in order to bring forth the beauty of traditional culture.
Please see http://www.DivinePerformingArts.org for more information.
