(799 x 1200 px, 300 dpi)
China, an ancient land with a five thousand-year-old civilization, holds many mysteries. When its mysteries cannot be spoken, sometimes they can be performed. The 2006 New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV) Chinese New Year Gala used the arts of dance, song, instrumental music, and martial arts to convey the deeper meaning of Chinese culture in Myths & Legends , held to sold-out audiences at the National Theater in Washington, D.C., Feb. 16 and 17.
The Gala began with "Illuminating the Divine Land" by the Ying Tang Lion and Dragon Troupe and Ying Tang Dance Troupe. The Emperor of Heaven, along with the Buddha, Taoists and Gods, descends onto the stage in a golden lantern, a symbol of the Chinese New Year and divine light, to impart wisdom and well-being to human beings. Buddha, Taoists and Gods give human beings scriptures, thought-beads (Nenju), alms bowl, and horsetail wisp. People express their gratitude to the Buddha, Taoists and Gods.Twelve ladies in Tang Dynasty robes dance with wisps and beat hand-held fan-shape drums, while warriors practice swords.
"Ancient rituals were handed down with great respect and memory," recalls Commander Dan Elmore, a guest at the opening night's pre-Gala reception. Commander Elmore, was a commanding officer on a Navy destroyer in the South China Seas during World War II, and frequented mainland China before the Cultural Revolution during 1966-76. About the Cultural Revolution, "What a twist…rather sad," said Commander Elmore.
The "Cultural Revolution" got its name from the efforts of the Communist dictatorship of Mao Zedong to destroy China's five thousand year old culture.
Saidah Holt, a Legislative Assistant from the Office of Gwen Moore of the 4th District of Wisconsin, who had spent time teaching in Luoyang in Hunan Province, said about the loss of Chinese traditional culture in China: "What they see in movies, that's the extent of their cultural exposure… the Chinese spirit is really good. Many Chinese are trying to teach themselves [traditional culture]. I saw this."
Seeking to bring back the traditional Chinese culture and the deeper moral meaning of the Chinese arts, New Tang Dynasty New Year Gala 2006 assembled more than 200 artists of both Chinese and Western origin.
Inspired by Chinese teachings and Tang Dynasty carvings and frescos found in the Dunhuang caves in the Gobi desert, Myths and Legends choreographers composed pieces that show Buddhist and Taoist realms. "There are many Chinese books and paintings that talk about what a Buddha's image is," said Elly Shu, describing her choreographed piece called "A Child's Dream."
The dance opens with a tragic, dark scene, set in present day China, where a mother is persecuted in front of her 6- or 7-year-old child by security police for practicing Falun Gong and taken away from her. The miserable child is then comforted by a dream where her mother whisks her away to see a bright heavenly realm of iridescent white maidens and throned Buddhas. The scene resembled a living, moving rendition of a Chinese scroll painting one would find in the Smithsonian Freer and Sackler Galleries, and was intended to portray the heavenly realms and spiritual devotion that Chinese people possessed for thousands of years.
China's centuries-old myths and legends brim with Taoist and Buddhist deities, descending to Earth to teach the difference between turpitude and morality. In another composition by ballet dancer and choreographer Tia Zhang, an old beggar hobbles into a village where she is kicked and spit upon until a kind woman takes her in. The beggar soon reveals her true identity as a gloriously luminescent Bodhisattva surrounded by Goddesses, and forewarns the village woman about trouble heading towards the village.
"In the past, Chinese people inherently understood the connection between nature and the human disposition toward goodness," explained Tia, referring to the way Chinese people of the past viewed natural disasters. "Every substance has to follow the nature of the universe, including humans who are in contact with nature," said Tia.
Incorporating traditional folk dancing from Shandong Province, Tai Chi fan movements, and traditional ballet in "The Plum Blossom Dance," Tia used a creative background scene and Chinese pink fans to portray the strength and beauty of the plum blossom. "We weren't concerned about keeping to a certain dance form. We wanted to use any form suitable to covey the inner meaning," Tia said.
Lead dancer Vina Lee explained that the plum blossom appears during the winter, a season too harsh for other flowers. The tree on which it blooms is always straight and does not bend in the blowing winter winds. Chinese people have taken the plum blossom as a symbol of perseverance and inner strength that cannot be broken and remains beautiful during the hardest of conditions.
Describing her inspiration during the dance, Vina said, "The plum blossom has a special strength, a character with human strength that never bows to persecution—someone who has a beautiful character no matter how harsh the environment."
"So many Falun Gong practitioners in China persevered in their belief in Truth-Compassion-Tolerance despite such a brutal persecution. During the worldwide Gala tour, one time I was so tired that my legs were shaking. At this time, I thought of those Falun Gong practitioners who were persecuted in China. Aren't they like the plum blossoms in the winter? They give us hope through their endurance and non-violent resistance to persecution. I suddenly gathered so much strength that I didn't feel tired any more. I felt my performance level further improved to another level," said Lee.
"Nine Swords" tells a story of cultivators of truth arising with nine swords and slaying the evil, red dragon. The costume of the head of the evil people shows the symbol of communism. This dance suggests the current ongoing wave of Chinese people quitting the Chinese Communist Party as a result of reading The Epoch Times' editorial series, Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party .
CBA Culture & Arts Center performed Chinese Instrument Ensemble "A Hundred Birds Pay Homage to the Phoenix" and "Oh, Susanna!" The Foster folk song "Oh, Susanna" played by Chinese traditional musical instruments was very warmly received by the audience. In Peking Opera "Monkey King," the Chinese martial arts skills of artists from CBA Culture & Arts Center win waves of applause from the audience.
Highlighting the classical traditional arts, Gala Directors incorporated a ballet performed by Russian artists, whose culture was suppressed under communist rule. American Ballet duo Irina Dvorenko and Gennadi Saveliev performed a final scene from Ludwig Minkus' Paquita .
Other spectacular performances included those from the renowned tenor Guimin Guan who sang, "The River Runs Red," originally composed as a poem by Chinese national hero, General Yue Fei, of the Southern Song Dynasty. Yue Fei fought for China and was later betrayed. Guimin Guan sang Yue Fei's 800 year old lyrics, "Wrath sets my hair bristling in my helmet …When will the sorrows of the emperor's subjects come to an end?"
One member of the audience summed it up well. "I really enjoyed every single act that I saw. It really exceeded my expectations, which was quite high," said Thomas Voyce.
New Tang Dynasty New Year Gala returns to Washington, D.C. next year during the Chinese New Year, spanning January and February. The Gala tours major cities around the globe, including Paris, Taipei, New York, Seoul, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
Feeds