FRANKFURT—The Epoch Times caught up with the Herb family after the premiere of Divine Performing Arts' Chinese Spectacular in Frankfurt. Klaus Herb is a publisher, sculptor, and author, and Elfriede Herb is an author. Their daughters Monika and Antonella work respectively as assistant manager at the European Central Bank, and alternative health practitioner.
Mrs. Herb started off by saying she thought the show was "wonderful," adding, "This was my birthday present … We already have seen a thing or two, but this is really magnificent, especially with the wonderful, spiritual pictures on the backdrop, and the decorations. Even when there was singing, one was able to follow everything nicely and one could admit to it, because one understood it."
About the backdrops at times depicting heavenly worlds, Mr. Herb said, "That is a piece of my world. I am truly happy about it. I can imagine that there are such worlds."
The Epoch Times asked the family members to elaborate on their favorite parts of the performance.
Mr. Herb: "Everything! I liked everything very much. Rest of the Family: That means something, he is very critical!"
Mr. Herb: "Really, I have nothing to complain about. That is really rare, it usually never happens."
Monika: "And especially when there are so many colors displayed, usually his first word is kitsch.'"
Antonella: "I also liked the first drum program, one could really feel the power."
Mrs. Herb: "I thought, hopefully we can withstand it from the first row. Absolutely great strength and power, everything else was so light and airy. I truly found that contrast very good."
Mr. Herb: "The Japanese do it similar, first the very delicate, and then they have the drummers."
Mrs. Herb: "Yes, then one is brought back down to earth again."
Monika: "The voices were also wonderful, true highlights."
Mrs. Herb: "I also liked those fine movements with the fans very much."
Antonella: "The one with the tea cups on their heads I found fascinating, where at the end, they took one after the other down."
Mr. Herb: "Also the costumes were especially beautiful."
Mrs. Herb: "This dramatic story with the child, but that is also a piece of real life, and real life is not always just sunshine. That is happening, too, and they have mixed it wonderfully between the other programs. [In the program with] the child with the three characters advocating the good things, even when they were threatened they still defended [the banner with the three characters Truth-Compassion-Forbearance]. I find it very interesting that the people in the beginning slowly start to think. First they are totally bewildered when the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] police came, and then they think and decide to not take it." Mrs. Herb: "These hand movements are also very beautiful. The Buddha statues also have those hand gestures … The play of the hands is very wonderful."
Monika: "The movements were clear and simple."
Antonella: "We had the impression that it wants to show people how China really is. Since there will be the Olympics soon, they simply demolish houses, throw people into the streets and make them homeless."
Mrs. Herb: "That's hard to believe! Yet there are already petition villages in which the ones who have become homeless live."
Antonella Herb: "We were under the impression that this is really China, and not what happens there…"
On the Songs and the Lyrics
Mrs. Herb said she found the songs, "Unbelievable … And the projection of the texts, that was very valuable. Because, how often does one look at things but does not understand them at all?"
Monika said, "At an Italian opera one does not understand anything if one does not read everything beforehand, but here one could understand everything."
Mrs. Herb also found the lyrics, "very good, wonderful! It is the Eastern way to express them based on nature. I myself also write haiku. Yes, what fascinates me as well about eastern poems is that the style is so simple, that the poet does not try to impress with melodious words. "
Monica added, "In English it means 'hidden agenda.' But here there are no ulterior motives when they talk, no 'hidden agenda.' It is just the opposite, open-hearted, and warm, that is why many are touched."
Another artist, Hans Beck, who is painter from Stuttgart, Germany, also attended the Spectacular.
"I like the show and I enjoyed it very much." Being an artist, he also commented on how the dance, music, backdrop and colors are all very well done, from an artist's point of view.
Performed by Divine Performing Arts on Tour, the Shen Yun Chinese Spectacular will play three shows in Frankfurt before continuing on to Berlin and Hamburg. For other shows in the Divine Performing Arts world tour, please visit: www.shenyun.eu
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Chinese Spectacular. For our complete coverage please visit: http://en.epochtimes.com/features/dpa2008/
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