SAN FRANCISCO—As the Chinese New Year Spectacular graced the stage at the stately San Francisco Orpheum Theatre for one more show on Thursday evening, audience members of all ages continued to heap praise on the unique cultural spectacle.
"The dance is just fabulous," said Lucia Gilbertson, who teaches English at a high school in San Ramon. "I loved the drums and also the girls with the cherry-pink blossom backdrop staging," she said, referring to "Water Sleeves," a scene portraying women in long silk sleeves exuding grace and femininity.
Long silk trains such as this have long been used in traditional Chinese dance to evoke a wealth of images.
The Gilbertsons and some of their close friends drove on a rainy day across the bridge from Oakland to see the show.
"I brought my family, my husband, my in-laws, and very dear friends. I have a lot of Asian students and we've heard that this show is great; we've read about it in the newspapers, so we came to see it," said Gilbertson.
Themes that run through many of the Spectacular's dance and musical pieces include aesthetic beauty and common virtues such as courage, honesty, compassion, and the search for spiritual truth.
"I think I learned a lot more about the Chinese culture, and I'm fascinated by it," said Francis Tobriner during the intermission.
"The show has wonderful energy, wonderful colors, but my guide dog (for the blind) was a little upset about the drumming," laughed Tobriner.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Divine Performing Arts shows that will perform in over 60 cities worldwide in 2008. To find a show near you, please visit www.bestchineseshows.com.
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