TAMPERE, Finland — The Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular made its Finland debut before an audience of 1,000 in Tampere on Sunday.
Pertti Virtanen, an independent MP who attended the show, is a poet, artist, writer and scholar in fields ranging from psychology to the arts. He has also been a visualization coach for various Finnish national athletics teams and was once a presidential candidate.
Currently, he is finishing his doctoral degree on the subject of Kalevala, held to be the national epic poem of Finland.
Interviewed during the intermission, Virtanen said he was especially impressed by the Mongolian Bowl Dance , in which the performers delicately balance bowls on their heads as they dance.
"As I saw the ladies doing this cup dance I felt stillness within the movements, and sacredness…I felt there was strong living power and very old traditions put in verse and in form."
He felt that the pacing was good in how the serenity of that scene was followed by the energetic forcefulness of Drummers of the Tang Court. He also enjoyed the soprano solo by Min Jiang, which he said reminded him a bit of throat-singing.
"This spectacular is a living thing. It's living today, waking up, and yet it's very old. That's why there is such power and originality to it," said Virtanen, adding that he liked the solo by tenor Guan Guimin, also known as the Chinese Pavarotti.
He also commented on some content in the show that depicts human rights abuses in modern-day China.
"What was said is true. It surprised me a little, and came across a bit old-fashioned but very innocent and naive in a good way. It's natural to protest like this, in order to save your culture."
He also elaborated on the idea that artists have to resemble "fools of the king's court" and dare to address such issues in a way that is accessible to people. In his own art he has continuously protested injustices and addressed sensitive topics in Finnish society. While some disliked him for this, others called him a "punk prophet" in his younger years.
Virtanen has visited many East Asian countries and has met the Dalai Lama in person. He said he has long been fascinated by East Asian culture and music, which is what brought him to the Spectacular.
He sees the Spectacular as a very good example of how the ancient traditions can be revived. He hopes to be able to achieve something similar in his work with Kalevala, to bring this old epic and all its wisdom to the young people of today in Finland, to get them to connect with their roots in a positive way.
For information about upcoming Divine Performing Arts shows, please visit:
www.DivinePerformingArts.org.
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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