After Divine Performing Arts' performances on Broadway, the company has toured the world presenting the Chinese Spectacular. Wherever it went, audiences who watched the show spoke very highly of the show and at the same time, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has never stopped its interference, trying to stop the show from being held in various cities. However, the CCP's interference has instead caused the local media, government officials, and people from different circles to pay particular attention to the performance. This was also the case in Finland.
The Finnish people could hardly understand the CCP's behavior of interfering with the Divine Performing Arts performances. The interference thus triggered people's curiosity and many of them bought tickets to watch the performances. Aamulehti, a local newspaper, carried an article on March 29, about the Chinese Embassy's interference with the performances. On March 31, it carried a follow-up article to report the grandeur of the show and the excellence of the performance.
Major Finnish media exposed why the CCP wants to interfere with the Divine Performing Arts' performances
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| On March 29th, Aamulehti, a major newspaper in Finland, carried an article about the Chinese Embassy's interference with the Divine Performing Arts performances |
Aamulehti is a major newspaper in Tampere, Finland. On March 29, journalist Paula Ropponen published an article titled, "Why Were the Divine Performing Arts' Performances Suppressed?" The article stated:
At the beginning of March, the website for Tampere-Talo (Tampere Hall) was blocked. This is a website about the Divine Performing Arts' performance. After it had disappeared for several days, it was re-opened and people could visit this website again.
One organizer of the performances believes that the website blocking was done by the Chinese Embassy. During the Divine Performing Arts' world tour, similar incidents of trying to stop the show have happened several times.
Veijo Pekkarinen, an organizer for the performance in Finland and the Chairman of the Association of the Traditional Chinese Arts, spoke about the cause of such an incident.
Veijo Pekkarinen said, "From my conversation with the Tampere-Talo workers, I have learned that Tampere city government officials had contacted them because the Chinese Embassy demanded that the Tampere city government 'investigate' this website. For example, in Sweden, the Chinese Embassy pressured and bribed the officials of the theater that hosted the show in order to stop the performances."
Veijo Pekkarinen also said, "A portion of the show touched upon the issue of justice in the Chinese society, for example, the issue of persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. Except the ban of Falun Gong in Mainland China, people can practice Falun Gong freely in any other place in the world. In China, all the Chinese Communist Party's propaganda and reports about Falun Gong are not true."
The fascination of Chinese classical dance
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| After seeing the performance on the evening of March 30th, Aamulehti reporter Merja Koskiniemi published an article the next day in the newspaper's cultural section, introducing the Divine Performing Arts Company |
On March 31st, Aamulehti reporter Merja Koskiniemi published an article titled "The Fascination of Chinese Classical Dance." Below is a translation of the article:
The Divine Performing Arts has been on its world tour and there are two performances in Finland, one on Sunday and another on Monday. The name of the show is "Divine Performance Arts - Chinese Spectacular." The performance reflects the beauty of masculine strength and feminine softness characteristic of the Chinese people. This performance was full of beautiful colors and it also told stories from Chinese history. At the same time, it has also combined Chinese dances with singing, drumming, as well as a unique Erhu performance.
With regards to the arrival of the Divine Performing Arts, eleven important Finnish and European government officials sent letters of congratulations.
The Divine Performing Arts has also used the format of dance to depict persecution, which was very well done. Relatively speaking, Chinese classical dances give people a kind of visual enjoyment. There were so many dancers on the stage, and their movements were coordinated very well. These were all blended very well with the backdrop. The scenes on the backdrop changed with the dances. The tools used in the dances, such as handkerchiefs, fans, and water sleeves, were seamlessly melded into the dances. This is also a big feature of this performance.
In "The Mongolian Bowl Dance," many small movements require strength, which I found really fascinating. The two drumming performances, "Drummers of the Tang Court" and "Victory Drums" also left people with a deep impression.
What is Divine Performing Arts?
"They perform Chinese dancing and have performed in over sixty cities around the world. They spread traditional Chinese culture, and have combined the classic dances with the drums. The whole performance lasts two hours."
After the show was over, Aamulehti reporter Merja Koskiniemi interviewed three people from the audience and asked about their opinions. These three people described their experience as follows:
Thirteen-year-old Lina and eleven-year-old Minna Suomalainen, who are sisters, both loved the dances, especially, the dance with the water, "Nymphs of the Sea." The dances and costumes have won the hearts of the two sisters.
Ten-year old boy Ola Laitinen liked the backdrops. He liked the performance about the horse's flying over ("Descent of the Celestial Kings") and the suns being shot down ("Lady of the Moon").
The Chinese Embassy's slander has triggered people's curiosity to come see the show
Pirkko Hamalainen and Heikki Hamalainen are a retired couple. Mrs. Hamalainen use to work for a post office and her husband used to repair automobiles. It was after they read the news in Aamulehti that they decided to come to watch the show.
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| Pirkko Hamalainen and Heikki Hamalainen, a retired couple |
After watching the show, Mrs. Hamalainen spoke about her feelings in English. She said, "Very good! Very, very good! Beautiful! A real spectacular!"
She added, "The costumes are beautiful and they are very characteristic of the East. I enjoyed the songs, stage designs, and dance movements, which have indescribable beauty."
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