NEWARK, N.J.—A visual feast of classical Chinese dance and music, the Divine Performing Arts Chinese New Year Spectacular delighted the audience at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark on Tuesday.
“I had a really great experience just being able to see the different dances, and learning about Chinese culture. It was really exciting,” said Mr. Alexander, a jewelry designer.
Mr. Alexander was especially impressed by the colorful costumes, all of which are originally designed and hand made.
“The costumes are beautiful. I really like the long sleeves. Those are really very, very, beautiful and also just the bright colors gave it a very bright spirit. I liked it a lot, it was very nice.”
From a piece called Flowing Sleeves, the long sleeves Mr. Alexander referred to were fashionable during China’s Tang Dynasty, worn by women of the celebrated Tang imperial court (618-907). The elegant style suggests the magnificence of the era, often regarded as the pinnacle of Chinese civilization.
Commenting on the spiritual aspect of the show, Mrs. Alexander, a Chinese American, said she believes “it’s important to support whatever is faith based and to integrate the different faiths of the world. I think that is a very important direction to take.”
Divine Performing Arts is a New York-based performance company founded by leading Chinese artists seeking to revive China’s traditional culture and present it to audiences around the world through classical Chinese dance and music. Mrs. Alexander said she supports this endeavor while also praising the caliber of the dancers.
“I just want to give you all my support for the mission around the world with this performance. I think it’s so very important to keep up your mission. And I am just moved by the dancers, the amount of discipline. They are simply young people, so the amount of discipline and the integrity of everything they have to do is just outstanding—more than remarkable. And as far as the costumes, they are inspired—they are truly inspired.”
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Divine Performing Arts. Visit DivinePerformingArts.org for more information.
