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Boston — New Tang Dynasty's Chinese New Year Gala was successfully held for the first time in Boston on the evening of January 7. The gala presented the Chinese and Western audience with a brilliant artistic feast of both traditional Chinese and Western performances. The gala was very well received.
Many in the audience had learned about the gala from flyers that the NTDTV volunteers passed out while they were shopping. But there were still many who had received the information from their friends or relatives. An African-American woman attended the gala with her daughter and the daughter excitedly told us that it was her 16th birthday and watching the gala was a birthday gift from her mother. The daughter has been drawn to Chinese culture since her childhood.
Another western woman told us that watching the gala was a Christmas gift to her son. She had found herself interested in Chinese culture after she went on a tour to China.
"Beautiful", "wonderful" and "spectacular" were the common responses of the audience members. They were amazed by the elegant costumes of the dancers. For many westerners in the audience, it was the first time they heard Chinese music instruments. They were very impressed with the dulcimer solo by Li Ping and erhu solo by Qi Xiaochun. The children enjoyed the traditional Chinese dragon dance and lion dance. Many Westerners in the audience went to the nearby Chinatown to enjoy some delicious Chinese food after the show. A columnist of a paper was a little disappointed that there was no Chinese food stand inside the theater and said that it would be much better if he could have had Spring Rolls while watching the gala.
Chinese audience members could better understand the dances and their deeper meanings because they are familiar with Chinese history. Ms. Chen Yuemei, who has been in the U.S. for 38 years, remarked that the gala was wonderful. She said, "I understand the meaning of the sword dance 'Nine Swords' and it was very good." She appreciated that the choreographer integrated many meaningful concepts into the dance performances.
An audience member with many years of theatre experience told The Epoch Times , "The costumes are really wonderful!" A senior Chinese over eighty years old said, "The legendary stories are not favored in the Mainland. I didn't plan to come, but such good performances are really rare."
A Chinese student in Boston said she attended the previous galas, but this gala was the best one so far and that the dances, costumes, stage and lighting were even more elaborate than before.
Ms. Zhao Ruland, a professor from Harvard University said that the musical composition in the first half of the performance was quite different from that of the latter half. She felt the music was amazing and deserves further reflection.
Mr. Li Wenchen, deputy director of the New England Yueshan Science and Technology Association said he hadn't had the opportunity to listen to Mr. Guang Guimin's singing before. He was very happy that he could listen to his song in the gala and he admired Guang's melodious voice. He was also impressed with the high-tech backdrop of the gala.
Mr. Paul Kelly from Beverly, Massachusetts said that the gala was the perfect combination of Oriental and Western cultures. He said that the men's chorus applied the western singing skills, but expressed oriental feelings. The traditional Chinese dance performances also adopted western stage performance skills.
The Epoch Times is proud to join with New Tang Dynasty T.V. and Sound of Hope Radio in co-sponsoring "Myths and Legends," NTDTV's Chinese New Year Global Gala. This article is one of a series meant to introduce this unique and important event.
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