HUNTSVILLE—Alabama's Rocket City experienced the Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular in all its glory for the first time Tuesday evening at the Von Braun Concert Hall.
In a message to the show, Governor Bob Riley commended Divine Performing Arts, saying the company is "reviving the long-lost treasures of China by presenting a series of performances across the globe. Its shows transport audiences to a land of beauty and enchantment, leaving them uplifted and inspired"
Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer wrote "this is a wonderful opportunity for family entertainment showcasing the largest world-class Chinese performance."
The unique cultural show drew military personnel, business owners, defense contractors, academics and families. Mary Bevins of Huntsville treated Tara Brown and Bobbie Goodsell of Lacy Springs to tickets.
"This is a birthday present for me," said Brown, a cafe owner who said "most everything we make is home made." Of the dancers, she said, "I like the girls, I like the ladies because they are so graceful."
"Mine was the water, the way they did the water," said Bevins, referring to 'Nymphs of the Sea'. Then she explained why she wanted to treat Brown and Goodsell to the Spectacular.
Bevins and her husband were customers of the cafe. He, a retired Air Force man, had been diagnosed with cancer. Goodsell waited on him every week. "They treated him like a king when he came in. They always sent him out with a drink—something for his chemo—a handful of candy," said Bevins. Bevins still goes there every week, though her husband passed away two years ago.
Godsell said the Spectacular was "fantastic, much more than I expected."
Throughout the show, applause sometimes swelled in the middle of a piece. In a scene set in modern-day China, when people in a park defend a mother and daughter who are being attacked for displaying a banner with the words, Truth, Compassion and Tolerance, audience members clapped and one said "Yeah."
The audience gave a standing ovation to the performers at the final curtain.
Mary Bevins summed it up: "What a treat."
The venue the Spectacular played in was named after a leading figure in rocket technology. According to the city website, U.S. Sen. John Sparkman brought a group of German rocket scientists to Redstone Arsenal in 1950 to develop rockets for the U.S. Army.
"By the end of the decade, Wernher von Braun's team had developed the rocket which orbited America's first satellite. They put the first American in space and sent the first astronauts to the Moon."
Today, Rocket City is a mix of high tech and military and old fashioned, friendly, unpretentious country culture.
For five months, two Divine Performing Arts companies toured five continents, playing in over 60 cities. This was the last show of the Divine Performing Arts on Tour Company's 2008 series. Edmonton, Canada, will host the final show by Divine Performing Arts of New York on Wednesday night.
For information about 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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