BALTIMORE—The Divine Performing Arts on Tour (DPA) arrived in Baltimore on Monday, a day before they will perform the Holiday Wonders Chinese Music and Dance show at the Lyric Opera House on Tuesday, December 17, 2007.
Ms. Peijong Hsieh, stage manager of the Holiday Wonders and a graduate from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, said that the troupe was very excited to perform in the city of Baltimore, which hosts many fine arts cultural events.
"We are very confident that we will definitely add color to this holiday season." Ms. Hsieh said that Holiday Wonders will warm the hearts of everyone at the show and "present the respect, dignity and balance in our life."
In a welcome ceremony at a Chinese restaurant in Baltimore last night, Randall Vega, the Director of Cultural Affairs with Baltimore's Office of Promotions and Arts, presented Mayor Sheila Dixon's proclamation of " Holiday Wonders Day" to DPA and reiterated Baltimore's welcome to the group: "We are so proud you are here. And we are so proud that Baltimore is the first step of [ Holiday Wonders performance on a worldwide tour]."
Five Thousand Years Shown on Stage
Xiu Guo, the Director of the Divine Performing Arts, in an interview yesterday, said that in addition to technique, Chinese classical dance also emphasizes "physical style and forms." The physical style is actually about expressing ethnic bearing through the performance. Different nationalities in China have different styles, techniques, and music. For instance, Han nationality is very different from Manchu or Korean or Mongolian nationalities.
"In this show, the audience will see different Chinese styles. The rhythm of dance is different. The music is different. The costume is different," said Ms. Guo. Through presenting the essence of different Chinese nationalities that dominated the various dynasties in China, Holiday Wonders condenses the essence of China's five thousand years of history.
A principal dancer of the Chinese Performing Arts in the 1950s, Ms. Guo is an expert in ballet, Chinese classical dance, and Chinese ethnic and folk dance.
Classical Yet Connects with Modern Audience
According to Ms. Guo, Holiday Wonders performance is able to connect to contemporary people because the choreography and music were created by artists in the troupe, who are living at the same time as modern-day audiences. From the content to the art forms, today's audiences can readily accept the performance.
Guo compared Chinese classical dance with Western classical dance, Ballet, which with its graceful and flowing movements, also places emphasis on beauty. "I haven't noticed many new works in ballet in these contemporary days. However, the Divine Performing Arts has new programs every year."
Even the Chinese New Year Spectacular show coming early in 2008 that the DPA performs regularly each Chinese New Year, has a different program from 2007 Holiday Wonders that is being performed tonight.
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