NTDTV Gala in Taipei Highly Acclaimed

Two shows of New Tang Dynasty's Chinese New Year Gala in Taipei were successfully presented at the Taipei Community Center on Jan. 11 and 12. The shows reflected both classical and contemporary music with contributions by many well-known performers. The final number on the program, "Series of Songs for the New Year," by the New Tang Dynasty Chorus, won a standing ovation.

This is the third annual NTDTV New Year's gala. Since the NTDTV's gala uses orthodox and enlightened art forms in performances, the artists of Taiwan paid increasing attention to the gala and more and more artists expressed interest in performing for this year's gala. Taiwan's President Chen Shui-Bian, Vice President Annette Lu, Mayor of Taipei, Ma Ying-Jeou, all sent their greetings to the gala.

The gala started with an imposing number by the "New Tang Dynasty Flag and Drum Team." The Peking Opera Master Cao Fuyong created a wonderful performance, "Triumph," to match the drum and the flag performance. Dancers from Taiwan's National University of Fine Arts performed the dances "Songs and Dances of Dunhuan," and "Flying Flowers." The sets for "Songs and Dances of Dunhuan" displayed the magnificence of Dunhuang Murals and the magnificent scenes of a Buddha's world.

The father of folk rhyme, a native Taiwanese, Hu Defu; folk singer Huang Dacheng; and famous violinist, Su Xianda also contributed performances to the gala. Su Xianda played four pieces of music, one of them, "Our Master," was composed by Falun Gong practitioners. Huang Dacheng sang three songs written by Falun Gong practitioners. Hu Defu sang his representative songs "In a Hurry," "Beautiful Ears of Grain," and "The Beautiful Island." They wished the audience a happy New Year.

The performances were broadcast live outside the center. In the intermission, the New Tang Dynasty Drum Team walked right out to the crowd and played a personal performance for the audience, which elicited warm applause.

The gala concluded with a song singing the praises of "Truthfulness, Benevolence, and Tolerance" by the New Tang Dynasty Chorus. National Examination Preparation Committee member Qiu Huajun, said, "The gala is a sumptuous feast of art and music performances in both classical and contemporary styles. It displays how different races can live together in harmony. The dance performances displayed oriental strength in interpretation and reflected beauty in the details."

Others from the audience commented that the gala performances are original and the gala covers the traditional, contemporary, oriental, Western arts and music. One concert-goer commented, "This gala showed a high level of artistry and was simply wonderful to experience." The 2006 NTDTV Gala consists of more than 20 shows that will take place in 17 major cities around world. There are 5 shows in Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung of Taiwan.

For more information about performances in your city, visit NTDTV's New Year's Gala website .

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.