NEW YORK—Today's Christmas celebrations for some New Yorkers included a new and exciting holiday tradition—going to see Holiday Wonders at the Beacon Theatre. Holiday Wonders is a unique Chinese cultural show, featuring elements of Chinese classical dance, singing, and a live orchestra.
With traditions of the different Chinese dynasties and ethnicities revived on stage by world-class performers, and drums beating for an exciting finale, Holiday Wonders was a well-received addition to the winter holiday season that even the theater-saturated audiences of New York City are falling in love with.
Partha, a software engineer from New York, said, "The show was excellent! I particularly enjoyed the singer Bai Xue. Even though she was singing in Chinese, her expression was perfect, so you don't need to understand every word. I also liked the Chinese classical dance in the 'Lady of the Moon'—it was very smooth. It's the first time I have seen anything like this. I missed last year's show, so this time I was very particular: I wanted to make sure I did not miss it again."
Maciej Gruszczynski of Brooklyn said, "The show was fantastic, mesmerizing, it has immense educational value. The dancing, the singing, the drums—I liked all of them, and I heard the erhu [two-string Chinese instrument] for the first time. I was looking at it very closely. I have seen Chinese art exhibitions before, but I wanted to see it all live. Chinese culture is unique; it is one of very few that have thousands, not just hundreds of years of traditions. I would recommend anyone to watch this show."
Harriet Cohen of Long Beach, L.I., said, "I learned about Chinese culture. I loved the one that has peace and happiness [written in Chinese characters], and my son David loved everything: the dancing and the spiritual uplift. It is just amazing how stories from Chinese culture can be brought to stage."
Osami Yehera, a dancer and choreographer from New York City, said, "The multiethnic focus in recreating their Chinese heritage is fascinating. They really are trying to get away from the communist regime [that currently rules China]."
Liza Teplovodskaia of New York City said, "I like the 'Qing Elegance' dance the best, it was amazing! The costumes are very creative, especially for the 'Water Sleeves' dance. The music and dance in this show are really very authentic. It is wonderful to learn about other cultures this way."
Michael, visiting New York City from Israel, said, "My mom bought tickets for the whole family, 16 people, and we had a great time. The show was very colorful, very beautiful, very different. The costumes were beautiful, I loved it. The drummers were amazing!"
Roland Rodriguez from Tampa, FL., found out about the show from a flyer in Times Square. He said, "The costumes were great, the fluidity was marvelous, the way the dancers moved on the stage. My whole family loved it, it was phenomenal. I would definitely recommend it to others."
Sabrina from New York City said, "The costumes were extremely well designed and very colorful. I particularly enjoyed the tenors and the harp instrument. The drum pieces were exceptionally well done and well choreographed. The pieces really conveyed a lot of beauty and grace."
Wassim Haphem from New Jersey said, "We wanted to do something new for the holidays ... this is actually my second time seeing the show … and I enjoyed it both times. The costumes and the music I really liked." Nancy Butler from New York City said, "I liked it. It was a gift from my boyfriend… I thought it was a great experience."
Larisa Chaadaev of New York City said, "I liked it very much. Actually it was my first time last year … we decided to do something different for Christmas. Well I guess it is something different because it is Chinese Culture."
Holiday Wonders continues with a 7:30 p.m. performance on Dec. 26. The show will also play in Caesar's, Atlantic City, N.J., Dec. 28–30.
Additional reporting by Nadia Ghattas, Frank Yu, Amir Talai, and Dana Cheng
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