CBS Vice President Says Splendor Is 'Very Meaningful and Very Beautiful'

NEW YORK—After seeing the opening night of Chinese New Year Splendor at Radio City Music Hall on Wednesday, David Friend, a CBS 2 New York Vice President and News Director, said the show was "very meaningful and very beautiful."

"It's a beautiful demonstration of Chinese culture through dance and music—very meaningful and very beautiful. I enjoyed it very much," said Friend.

"I just think it's a beautiful array of talent, and costumes and scenery that is not just there for show but that is integrated into the performance. I think it's beautifully choreographed on all levels."

Friend was particularly impressed by the Divine Performing Arts orchestra that accompanied the Chinese classical dancing on stage.

"The orchestra is very talented, the combination of the Western instruments and the Chinese instruments is beautiful… this is something unique, truly unique," he said.

After seeing an ad on TV and getting an email about the show, Friend decided to take his wife, Wendy Kaplan Friend, to see it.

"I thought everything was choreographed beautifully, the costumes were magnificent," said Ms. Friend.

Ms. Friend said she particularly liked the "Water Sleeves" dance.

"I loved the ones with flowing sleeves and how the women used their sleeves as an instrument and how they used their hands to gather the sleeves up and have them sprawl to convey their thoughts," said Ms. Friend.

Mr. and Ms. Friend both liked the erhu performance by Xiaochun Qi. A traditional Chinese instrument, the erhu has only two strings and is sometimes referred as the "Chinese violin."

The erhu "was deeper and a lot more soulful than a violin," said Mr. Friend.

Ms. Friend said, "It was very very beautiful. Her first part was much slower, her second part was much more upbeat. It showed the range of the instrument itself and how beautifully it could be used," said Ms. Friend.

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.