NEW YORK—The Divine Performing Arts' Chinese New Year Splendor show is meeting with rave reviews from a diverse audience.
Second grade teacher Patty Asbury and her daughter, Ashley, from New York, were among the fans.
"I like the one with the water—it really looked like water," recalled Ms. Asbury about one of her favorite performances. "It was such a nice introduction, because it took you away from being in the city, like it really transformed you to being someplace else, and that was a good start."
The mother and daughter heard about the show by chance, according to Ms. Asbury. "We were actually walking on the subway, and we saw all the signs," she said.
Ms. Asbury traveled to China in 1984. She said the Chinese New Year Splendor is "beautiful".
Talking about her experience in China, Ms. Asbury said, "It was very different to what I thought it was going to be. In China it was very ornate, it was very short—this show was beautiful. This was a wide variety, a wide variety of different things.
I thought it was much better. And really, it was also really cool being with all the Chinese people that were around, you felt that you were really watching something that they were appreciating. You know when you go to Chinatown, you go to a restaurant where all the Chinese are eating, because that's the better food. So I said, wow, this must be something really, really good, if the culture itself is going there. And it was bilingual too, which made it much more cultural, much more delving into the culture. "
"It was awesome," said Ms. Asbury, adding, "And the drums were so empowering, oh my goodness, it was really cool."
Being a teacher, Ms. Asbury became inspired by the fan in the show, "And actually I got an idea when I was there. The kids are supposed to write poems, and when I want them to write some poems about nature, I think I'm going to put it on the shape of a fan, because I saw how many different ways they use a fan. So I thought that would be cool."
Lubna and Jamal Habibi from Long Island, who attended the show with their daughter and son-in-law, were impressed by the stark difference between the Divine Performing Arts show and other shows in New York.
"We have seen so many Broadway shows, this was different," said Lubna. "We enjoyed it a lot." Lubna is a chef who does international catering with companies and airlines.
Talking about her favorite pieces, Lubna said: "the girl with the "violin" (Chinese two string instrument Erhu) she did it very nicely, and the small girl with the flag [Power of Awareness], that was very beautiful. And the drums of course."
Lubna added, "I also liked the one where they were in the temple and they did good deeds—that was a good performance"
This was a family event. Her husband Jamal bought the tickets. Lubna looked very happy, "Today is my birthday, so he surprised me."
Lubna is of Indian heritage, and that culture is very famous for beautiful fabrics, decorations, saris and colors. Lubna appreciated the costumes, "I like the colors, the colors of the dresses are the same as we wear it and the style also."
The show is also attracting international visitors. Ruth Alvarado from Costa Rica commented that she enjoyed the colors, dancing, and cultural aspects of the show.
"It's divine," said Alvarado enthusiastically, "The moon one, the chopstick zest—we love it. We can see songs about the history — we're learning. This is the first time we've come to see something from China."
The Chinese New Year Splendor continues in New York through Saturday, Feb. 9. For other shows in the Divine Performing Arts world tour, please visit: www.DivinePerformingArts.org . The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Chinese New Year Splendor.
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