Cleveland-The Divine Performing Arts Company staged its Chinese Spectacular for the first time ever in Ohio on Saturday, May 3, at the Playhouse Square Center's State Theater, bringing along the culmination of 5000 years of traditional Chinese culture.
"The show was wonderful, it's delightful" said Kris Heinrich an office manager at a local ballroom dance studio. "When I saw this was coming I definitely wanted to come see it. I have an adopted Asian child so we enjoy the Chinese Culture."
"It definitely helps you learn more about the Chinese culture" said Ms. Heinrich, "we have learned a lot about the Chinese culture but I never learned about the lotus flower. I thought that was a neat piece of information. Also I've never seen the drum dance. What we have seen in the past is like the Chinese opera, the gymnasts, and you always hear the very haunting music with the Chinese instruments, but this is delightful because there is more than just that music. There is a broader background of music there's a lot more culture involved and it tells you the various eras about the tradition."
Ms. Heinrich explained her favorite part, "I love the Nymphs of the Sea performance. The way they went into the Chinese Ballet was beautiful. The Chinese scenery on the big screen with all the images was great as well."
The show combines a range of traditional Chinese dance, a profound performance art that encompasses elements of ballet, gymnastics, dramatic theater, and martial arts.
When asked her favorite performing style from the show, Ms. Heinrich responded "Well there is so much here, it is all spectacular to be honest with you. From the martial arts stand point I liked performance The Loyalty of Yue Fei where the mother put the tattoo on the king."
Since the Great Cultural Revolution, much of China's cultural history has been lost. The Chinese Spectacular retells the true history that was once destroyed by communist rule.
"We have a group of friends that have adopted a child from China as well, so we all intermingle and go to what ever events there are" said Ms. Heinrich. "I think this show is a great opportunity for the western and Chinese culture to merge so that one can learn about the Chinese culture. What a lot of people see is what is in the history books with communism. They don't see the richness, they don't see the heritage, and they don't see the beauty of the culture, which I have been fortunate to experience because I do have an Asian child. So we make it a point to learn about the culture."
For information about upcoming Divine Performing Arts shows, please visit: www.DivinePerformingArts.org.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Divine Performing Arts company. For our complete coverage please visit: http://en.epochtimes.com/features/dpa2008/
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