The Chinese New Year Spectacular opened at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido on Jan. 15 for a three day, four-show engagement, treating audiences to a thrilling dance and music celebration of the dynasties and ethnic cultural groups of China.
Divine Performing Arts of New York is presenting the global Chinese New Year Spectacular , which they say is not only a revival of authentic Chinese culture, but also conveys the essence and spirit of ancient Chinese traditions.
Chuck Schoeman, a deputy special inspector with the City of San Diego, was quite moved by the spectacular, saying it was "Very moving! I saw a lot of myself," referring to one of the performances. The lotus piece "made me cry, it is very, very impactful [sic]. It would be difficult to listen to this and not be touched at the soul level."
The moment the curtain opens, one is off on a journey to a mythical land, and everything is exquisitely beautiful—the costumes, backdrops, and music are dazzling.
A Carlsbad woman named Je, a researcher at UCSD who emigrated from China said, "The Chinese classical dance is my favorite (part of the show), very beautiful. I really like the backdrops. Maybe it is computerized, it''''s very unique. I haven''''t seen such a show in a long time. It''''s a very traditional Chinese classical show."
Audience member Michelle Mitchell is originally from Taiwan and owns an art gallery in Carlsbad. She said, "I truly enjoyed it very much. It''''s really nice to see the culture and know the background. There is so much more involved, emotionally and visually, it touches me."
The producers of the Chinese New Year Spectacular say that their aim is the revival of authentic Chinese culture. As grand an undertaking as it may seem to bring back to life 5,000 years of Chinese culture, it seems that Divine Performing Arts and these outstanding performers are truly achieving it. Divine Performing Arts has created a cultural treasure.
Perhaps no one summed up the general feeling of the audience better than Mia, a San Diego biochemist originally from Japan, who said the Spectacular was, "Perfect, lively, beautiful. The costumes are gorgeous, they flowed with the movements of the dance, and the drumming was excellent, I could feel it. I love this! I wish I were Chinese for a day!"
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