FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla—Looking for an exciting night out, holiday fare a little different than usual, something from a foreign land and a different culture? Perhaps NTDTV's Holiday Wonders could fit the bill—it certainly did for the nearly two thousand people who enjoyed the show's final performance at the Broward Performing Arts Center in Fort Lauderdale.
The show attracted a diverse crowd, people of many ages and many backgrounds, and apparently satisfied them all.
Desi and Isabel Hernandez, brought their children and children's friends from Miami to see the show. They saw and advertisement on television, and, as Desi put it, "We wanted to take the whole family out for a night out, to see something cultural.
I enjoyed [the show,] the costumes the very vivid colors… I don't know the Chinese language, or a lot of the reasons for the movements, but it was very enjoyable."
"That piano piece ("Awakening," by teenage virtuoso Yan Li) really stood out, and the 'Mongolian Bowl Dance'."
Desi's son, also named Desi, and his friend Leann, preferred "Victory Drums."
Mei Sun, an internationally renowned flower designer, heard about the show when someone from the production company contacted her about buying flowers top decorate the stage. Mei Sun was so impressed by the promotional materials and the content of the show, she offered to donate her award-winning flower-arranging skills to help decorate the lounge for the VIP reception.
After the show, she described her response: "I feel very peaceful; I feel very wonderful and fantastic."
Mei Sun couldn't pick a favorite act. "I liked every one," she laughed. She also approved of the deeper meanings expressed through the dance and music.
Wayne and Cheryl Moffett of West Palm beach brought their children, William and Willow, to see the show.
"We loved it," Cheryl told an Epoch Times reporter. "I brought my little girl here because we normally The Nutcracker and we wanted something different. This was indeed a very spectacular show. It was very bright, and the dancing, of course, was very unique. I enjoyed the drumming.
Wayne said, "I liked the drumming, I liked 'Herding on the Mongolian Plains', and 'Ladies of the Manchu Court'. The ladies walking in high heels—that was especially elegant." "And the 'Mongolian Bowl Dance'," Cheryl added.
Wayne is an engineer and Cheryl works in media. Cheryl said she enjoyed theater, had covered a lot of shows, and with all that exposure still found Holiday Wonders to be unique.
Alan and Georgette, a married couple from the Fort Lauderdale area, learned about the show through an article in the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel.
They had different favorite acts. While Georgette preferred "Herding on the Mongolian Plains," Alan liked "The Loyalty of Yue Fei," a traditional Chinese story of a young man who had to choose between joining the army or staying home to care for his ailing mother.
"That kind of puts into perspective what people around the world are facing right now … in any century, in any time, whether to go to war to fight for your country or fight for your family first."
The three Mera brothers, Daniel, Jorge, and Jonathan, were visiting Florida from their native Venezuela, and were advised to see Holiday Wonders by a friend.
Daniel described the show as "Awesome." He appreciated that, besides being great entertainment, it taught different things. He praised the production quality and the small skits presented by the announcers, but also stressed that the show was "very educational."
Daniel thought the percussion was very good, he liked the singers, but his favorite was the piano solo of Yan Li. "It was incredible."
His brother Jorge loved the whole show, but when pressed to pick a favorite, chose the "Mongolian Bowl Dance." Jorge also thought that the show's messages, though rooted in Chinese culture and philosophy, were very clear. "I'd love to learn more about China. Before I really knew almost nothing; now I feel I know a little bit."
Jonathan liked, "the pianist (referring to Yan Li,) the colors, the dancers … the Mongolian dancers were spectacular. I liked it all very much. The spirituality and the acts are very well integrated; this is a good way to present that information."
Jocelyn Hernandez, from Fort Lauderdale, said, "I think it was awesome: the music, the colors, and learning in a different way about the Chinese culture. It was most interesting." Jocelyn brought her two-year-old daughter Jeannette, and was surprised that she was quiet and attentive throughout the show. "She was quiet, she was applauding…"
Holiday Wonders is off to the Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg for two shows, on Dec. 29 and 30. Tickets are available at www.FlShows.com.
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