NEW YORK—Countless shows and performers have passed under the lights of the Great White Way—Broadway. But New Tang Dynasty Television's (NTDTV) Holiday Wonders and Chinese New Year Splendor promise to be something completely unique.
Guimin Guan, a renowned tenor originally from mainland China who performs in the shows, says that audiences have demanded more performances every year, in part because it is so unique.
"I can tell you that no other performing arts group of Chinese ethnicity has been like this," said Mr. Guan at a press conference today at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.
Divine Performing Arts, the troupe that performs the shows, will tour to over 60 cities and perform before an expected 600,000 people.
Throughout the promotion of the show, NTDTV and Divine Performing Arts have placed a great emphasis on the distinct characteristic of the Holiday Wonders and Chinese New Year Shows.
Mr. Xuejun Wang, choreographer and principle dancer, says that the character of the performances is free of the influence of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Wang is a graduate of the Beijing Academy of Dance and was the principal dancer for the Guangzhou Dance Troupe from 1978 and 1984. He says Party approved performances that laud the CCP are the norm in China, but this is where Holiday Wonders differs.
"Since the Chinese Communist Party has been in power, they've been promoting that their culture is the Chinese culture," said Mr. Wang. "That is not the true Chinese culture."
Holiday Wonders features Chinese dance, music, and singing and is hosted bilingually in Chinese and English. The programming draws on the deep inner expression of Chinese classical dance. It also uses a combination of background scenery, costumes, and choreography to express ancient Chinese virtues of truthfulness, compassion, and pure beauty.
A stunning array of costumes, dancers and musicians depicting ancient Chinese culture and history are showcased, with a modern twist in some acts. Performances include original dance numbers, solo vocalists, and musicians, and dramatic depictions of stories through dance and music.
The main musical accompaniment, the Divine Performing Arts Orchestra, employs a unique blend of Chinese and western musical instruments to play original scores.
The orchestra's conductor, Mr. Rutang Chen, has had over three decades of experience as a professional musician and was conductor of China's Central Philharmonic Society Orchestra. Mr. Chen says that the original scores created for the orchestra are written by talented composers who can utilize the unique blend of instruments that make up the orchestra.
"Our composers tend to be quite masterful in both western techniques as well as eastern technique," said Mr. Guan.
Holiday Wonders will run at Beacon Theatre on Broadway and 74th from Dec. 18 through 26. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster or by going online to www.holidaywonders.net.
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