Austria: Chinese Spectacular Strikes a Chord with Audiences

The Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular presented at Vienna's City Hall Performance venue, the Stadthalle, was warmly received by the audience, which responded with multiple rounds of applause on March 7, 2008. When the conductor of the Divine Performing Arts Orchestra, Mr. Chen Rutang, was introduced to the audience, there was an overwhelming burst of applause and cheers. People in this capital of music were favorably impressed with the music played with Chinese and Western musical instruments.

Retired Officer: Dances are Graceful and Impressive

Mr. Gustav Traind worked for the Labor Bureau before retirement. He and his wife attended the Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular and praised the show highly. Mr. Traind told the reporter, "[The show] was very beautiful, I liked it very much. The dances were very special." He said he especially liked the first performance ("Descent of the Celestial Kings.") and said it was very impressive. Mrs. Traind shared the same feelings, and she told the reporter, "It was really beautiful, from beginning to end, really. The first performance was the most beautiful piece."

School Principal: The performance is spiritual, charming and novel

School Principal Peter Schulerithb said, "The show is unforgettable, and enjoyable"

After attending the show, school principal Peter Schulerith said he liked the show very much, "The show was very beautiful, and unusual for me. The performance was spiritual, charming and novel."

He said he liked the drumming performances the most. He also liked the blending of the Chinese and Western musical instruments.

Journalist Who Likes Chinese Culture Appreciates Seeing Chinese Culture That Cannot Be Seen in China

Andreas is a journalist in a news agency. He and his wife attended the Chinese Spectacular show on March 7. He told the reporter during the intermission, "I liked the show, generally speaking, even though I'm not fond of dancing, I do not go to dance performance in Austria, but today, I'm very satisfied. I especially liked the dance with the long sleeves. ("Snowy Mountain, White Lotus") I liked their movements."

He said that he liked reading reports on China, and had been there several times, but what he had seen in China was different from what he saw here in this show. He hoped to recommend the show to others, but thought it a pity that this was the last performance of the Divine Performing Arts in Vienna.

The Performance is Soul-stirring

The audience of Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular in Vienna: (from left to right): Ms. Verena Genn, Mr. Gerry Stiegner, and Ms. Dani Stiegner

Therapist Mr. Gerry Stiegner attended the Chinese Spectacular and said, "This is an enjoyable show. The colors were pleasant and lively." He said he thought the show would be similar to the Chinese acrobatic troupe performances he had seen before, but was pleasantly surprised to find that this show was different. He was deeply enthralled by the (Divine Performing Arts') performance. He said the costumes and backdrop colors, dances, songs, Chinese tradition, and meaning of the lyrics on the backdrop screen, were fascinating.

Mr. Stiegner thought the backdrop during the performance of "Forsythia in Spring" was the best, that the colors were very pleasing, lively and bright.

Ms. Verena Genn said, "I liked the whole performance. The colors were brilliant and dazzling, leaving people a pleasant impression." She also liked the "Mongolian Bowl Dance" the most, as it was very beautiful and elegant. The dance "Nymphs of the Sea" was her other favorite. She said the performance where a little girl holds a banner reading "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" ("The Power of Awareness"), used dance to convey the persecution, and the body language in the dance was very expressive and explicit, making her feel as if she were experiencing it personally.

Ms. Genn said she liked the dances with supporting stories, such as the performance where the birds flew up to the sky and changed into suns ("Lady of the Moon"), she said, "It was just like putting a fairy tale into the dance, the traditional Chinese culture (behind the performance) was comprehensible to me. I found it to be very, very good."

Ms. Dani Stiegner said that the hosts were great. Prior to each performance, they gave a brief introduction that was very helpful. She said she would not have understood many things without their explanations.