Celebrating young life is what the New Year is all about, and for Allan Ruddick, sharing a rich theatre experience with children is only natural. He took his his neighbor and his neighbor's children to see the Chinese New Year Splendor last night at Radio City Music Hall.
"I thought that the scenery was unbelievable, the special effects, the dancing—the drums was the best number, and just the way they cover the scenery, the explanations were all really nice. I brought these two young children, so my goal was really to turn them on [to] theater. I think these kids are going to be really impressed, you know, later on ... plant the seeds for them."
"It's just so meticulous. The dance, the costumes, the movements—it's all very meticulous." The Divine Performing Arts, the troupe presenting the Splendor, is dedicated to presenting authentic Chinese culture through Classical Chinese dance, music, and stories.
Allan owned a business, the All Clean Laundromat, before retiring and becoming a frequent theatre patron. As an experienced audience member, and having lived all over the world, Allan discerned depth and cultural meaning behind the beauty of the show.
"Every one of these numbers has some kind of awareness to them that I think is part of an Asian philosophy—learning, thinking, you know reaching up to a higher self, which is really such a beautiful culture." Allan has never lived in Asia and would like to visit there one day. "When they were torturing the people, I got real emotional." The depictions of torture tell the story of present day China where many are persecuted for their beliefs including human right lawyers and practitioners of Falun Gong.
Overall, Allan said, "I just enjoyed it. I thought it was great."
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: http://www.divineperformingarts.com/
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Chinese New Year Splendor.
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