CHICAGO-A businessman who saw the Chinese New Year Spectacular in Chicago on Saturday afternoon came away from the show meditating on what makes all of us human.
Robert Zarna owns his own consulting company in Cleveland, Ohio. He heard about the show through his wife and wanted to come. Indeed, he and his party drove almost six hours through the snow in order to have the chance to see it. But he admitted, "This is not the kind of show I would typically go see."
The songs in the show spoke to Zarna. "In the vocal pieces, in the lyrics, you can see the struggle against the Chinese Communist regime to preserve identity and culture."
Zarna continued, "The songs and the show are what about what every human being wants: peace, love, harmony, meaning in life, and freedom.
"These are the things we all want when you strip away all of the accidental stuff about geographically where you come from or what you do. Underneath we are all the same."
Yet, Zarna also noticed how the show portrayed some fundamental differences. "The female performances are very soft and relaxing. The male performances are very energizing. The drummers are my favorite part of the show."
He felt the traditional Chinese art in the Spectacular is unique. He said, "The art is more dramatic than any other culture I have seen."
When he stopped to be interviewed, Zarna was on his way to try to pick up DVDs of previous Spectaculars. "I want my friends in Cleveland to see this. I definitely want them to know about this."
Feeds