SEATTLE—Janet Jensen is a Scandinavian dancer and has danced through Sweden and Denmark. She is a specialist in native dances from Sweden, Denmark, and Norway and has gone through medal testing programs in Sweden. These dances are part of her culture, heritage, and family line.
She came to Seattle's Chinese Spectacular and immensely enjoyed the show. "This is really, really special."
She commented on her experience in dancing Scandinavian dances and her respect for Divine Performing Arts, "To try to portray the culture, the feel, and the essence of a culture that I have not grown up in, but that I appreciate and learn from has been very impressive to me."
The Chinese Spectacular has many dances, some feature large groups of female Chinese classical dancers while others showcase male Chinese classical dancers.
Janet enjoyed all of the dances but was particularly moved by the contrast of the male and female dancing. "I saw the contrast between the group performances of women, specializing in the characteristics that they bring, and the contrast between the strength and power of the men in their dances."
Janet was also fascinated with the cohesiveness of the dancers and their precise dance techniques. Mentioning that she could enjoy the individual dancers' perfection, or the individual groups of 2, 3, and 4 on stage at any time. "Across the whole of the groups, they all know what they are doing, they're spot on, and it's amazing! The placement of the feet, the turns, the landing on the heel and toe, is all in sync. They know their stuff."
Divine Performing Arts is a renaissance of Chinese traditional arts and Janet hopes it will grow. "I'm hoping that this will grow and grow and grow."
"This must be an extraordinary school [The Divine Performing Arts Academy]." Janet said she wished that she could be a part of the dance team.
Janet was also captivated by the contemporary piece 'Risen Lotus Flower' which depicts a female Falun Gong practitioner persecuted to death in a Chinese labor camp. "I think it's very important if we can begin to enlarge our hearts and try to get a feel, or try to grasp what other people have endured and suffered. And something still burns in them—compassion, truth, and forbearance. I think it's a note, or a chord, that is sounding worldwide, I hope it is."
Janet was touched very deeply by the Chinese Spectacular, and was the last audience member to leave the theater. "I would encourage [others] to come and experience something that outlives all of us, it's art, it's culture, it's the human voice and the human spirit. It's a universal language, and it translates into our hearts."
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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