European Dance Professionals Marvel at Divine Performing Arts Shows

From February to April 2008, Divine Performing Arts (DPA) put on 45 shows in 18 cities across 13 countries in Europe, which brought 5,000 years of Chinese traditional culture to Europe where western culture originated. The reserved British got excited, the picky French lavished their praises, the strict German blurted out their adoration, the shy Swedish no longer held back their feelings – everyone clapped and cheered until DPA performers answered up to four curtain calls.

The main theme of the show is Chinese classical dance (Chinese dance). There are three major components to Chinese dance: physical 'yun' bearing, physical forms, and technique. The dance manifests thoughts, feelings and content through physical yun and physical forms, which is its difference from ballet. Chinese dance emphasises hand, eye, body, form, footwork as well as figure, expression, strength and rhyme, which are important means of expression and the basic ingredients of physical yun. “Figure” refers to physical movements, including posture, movement and link. Linking movements express yun to the fullest.

Many ballet dancers in the audience found the beautiful forms and superb techniques of DPA artists refreshing. The deep inner qualities of the dances and the physical yun in every move of the dancers impressed the professionals a great deal. They said they learned a lot.

Headmaster of the Royal School of Ballet in Antwerp, Belgium: DPA presented authentic Chinese culture, more charming than the Europeans

Ms. Marinella Paneda, top ballet expert and Headmistress of the Royal School of Ballet in Antwerp, Belgium, has trained many ballet talents in the world today.

Ms. Paneda said, “We feel extremely lucky to see true Chinese culture. Having read books about Chinese history, we believe it is a great country. When watching the performance I was thinking, ‘DPA did really well by presenting authentic Chinese culture, which is very important.’”

The dances deeply touched her: “I loved the drumming and could feel the strength of masculinity, which shook me to the core. Awesome! The moves of the female dancers showed femininity and delicacy, which was beautiful and full of grace and charm. The DPA artists are more charming than the Europeans, which I can say for sure as it is a fact. In any case, I loved it.”

Award-winning ballet dancer: future artists should come to see the DPA

Once a classical ballet dancer, Mr. Hugo Fanari won choreography awards in Hamburg, Germany. He directed the ballet Mid-summer Night’s Dream. As well as being a lighting expert and a dance teacher, he has also co-ordinated fashion shows. On the 26th and the 27th of February 2008, he watched two consecutive DPA performances at the City Theatre in Antwerp, Belgium.

Having seen DPA’s first performance in Antwerp with his teacher Ms. Marinella Paneda, he took his mum to see the 2nd performance the following day. Meanwhile he recommended DPA to sixty students and staff members at the Royal School of Ballet and another dance school. According to Mr. Fanari, dance students who are future artists should go and see the DPA performance.

Ballet dancer Mr. Hugo Fanari marvelled at the large scale of DPA’s worldwide tour.

He piled praises onto DPA artists: “Female dancers had smiles on their faces throughout. Not only did each individual dance accurately but the overall performance was flawless as well. Their beauty was not like that of Barbie dolls. Their inner beauty was very attractive. One could tell that they had very good dance training to enable such perfect performances and could feel their enthusiasm for promoting Chinese culture.”

Other than the dances, Mr. Fanari also enjoyed the Er Hu, the piano and alto Yang Jiangshen. “The Er Hu performance was deeply moving. Not only did the performer Qi Xiaochun demonstrate excellent techniques, her appeal and demeanour on the stage were intoxicating. Ma Changzi’s piano accompaniment was well performed and well co-ordinated. She was also very graceful. It was great to have western piano to accompany Chinese songs. Alto Yang Jiangsheng’s range was huge. Her performance augmented the whole ancient art and culture show.”

He also liked the orchestra. The live orchestra was more pleasing to the ear and also heightened the atmosphere, setting off the dances well.

Mr. Fanari marvelled at the large scale of DPA’s worldwide tour. In his career, he got to know and helped quite a few international shows, but he had never seen any that toured so many countries in such a short time. He was impressed with the DPA tour’s large scale, its talents from around the world, and its tour in multiple countries, which made it extremely challenging.

British dancer: the performance proved Chinese dance is the manifestation of human spirituality and inner worlds

Once a professional dancer, Elaine currently teaches film-related courses. She and her husband saw the last performance in London in 2008. Elaine said that she was not sure what to expect before she came, but felt very lucky that she did see the show, “The entire show was exquisite. The dances that I saw tonight were extremely beautiful. The dancers’ moves were elegant and smooth.”

Elaine was very interested in the difference between Chinese classical dance and ballet as introduced by the hosts of the Divine Performing Arts show.

Elaine mused, “Dance is intelligent. I am very interested in the difference between Chinese classical dance and ballet as introduced by the hosts of the DPA show. Tonight’s performance proved that Chinese dance is the manifestation of human spirituality and inner worlds. Compared to ballet, Chinese dance felt warmer and more intimate. Having been trained in ballet, I know the dancers really need to get into character in order to achieve this.”

Elaine said she felt sorry that such beautiful dances, including the Mongolian dance and Tibetan dance, have been lost in China. But she was very happy that these beautiful traditions are being revitalised by DPA.

Elaine continued that she knew very little about Chinese culture and she did not know how Falun Gong is been persecuted or the pressure it is under in mainland China. She was interested in learning more about Falun Gong.

Czech ballet professional: DPA performers are all ‘top of the top’

“The show is remarkable. I have never seen anything like it. Thank you, DPA,” ballet professional Ms. Kostulanova commented after seeing the DPA’s performance in Prague. “I am very much into ballet. I was a ballet dancer when I was young. Therefore I am qualified to judge the artistic standard of the DPA performance.”

Czech ballet professional Ms. Kostulanova thought the Divine Performing Arts performance was remarkable.

She had wonderful things to say about the whole show, “I very much enjoyed the show. It was absolutely perfect. All the performers are ‘top of the top’. We are very happy to have the opportunity to learn about Chinese culture.”

“I also liked the singers, who were outstanding. Their voices were so sonorous.” She thought the costumes and colours were very elegant. “The costumes were exquisite. All those beautiful colours were very well coordinated. I have designed some graphics and know the difficulty in coordinating the colours so well. the DPA show’s colour co-ordination was very tasteful, full of personality. Not only was it colourful but more importantly it was done in good taste.”

Austrian prince of ballet: to broaden arts vision, one must see the DPA show

It is said that walking in the streets of Vienna is like walking on music notes. The DPA’s performance in Vienna also won much praise from artists.

The principal ballet dancer at the Austrian National Opera House, Mr. Gregor Hatala, is crowned the prince of ballet on stage. When interviewed, he expressed his delight at the DPA show, “I enjoyed it, especially the drumming and the Mongolian dance.”

He mentioned that performers had great techniques. For example in the Mongolian dance, the male dancers imitated eagles and horses. He also liked the Mongolian Bowl Dance by the female dancers. He said, “DPA has some unusual talents, a few actors were exceptional.”

He found the show very intriguing: “It’s rare to see this kind of art show in Europe. Everyone knows a little bit about China, such as the Great Wall, the totalitarian regime, some may know about the renowned ceramics. But Europeans in general do not know about Chinese singers or Chinese dance. Therefore I found the show very intriguing.”

Principal ballet dancer at the Austrian National Opera House Mr. Gregor Hatala felt it was a rare opportunity to see a show like the DPA performance in Europe.

He learned a great deal from the show, “It gave me some new ideas, which maybe I can use in my future chorography, such as some interesting moves in the fan dance.”

He said he would recommend the DPA show to friends. “To broaden arts vision and to see Chinese-flavoured productions completely different from their European counterparts, one must see this show.”

Famous Viennese ballet dancer: the show was “refreshing”

A key ballet dancer at the Austrian National Opera House, Ms. Kathrin Czerny graduated in 1989 from a ballet school that was affiliated with the National Opera House. After joining the Opera House with top marks, she was appointed a solo dancer in 2002.

Having seen the DPA performance with some other dancers, she said, “It was a pleasure to watch the show. I could relax and enjoy Chinese culture.” She really loved the show: “I loved it – rich colours and a strong sense of music but very harmonious. The dancers did a great job, I really loved it.” She explained, “I especially enjoyed the feminine moves in the female dances, which were expressed with hands and arms. The facial expressions and moves of the male dancers were full of masculinity, very forceful. The props and backgrounds described Chinese history. It was an excellent production.”

Key ballet dancer at the Austrian National Opera House, Ms. Kathrin Czerny loved the DPA show.

Ms. Czerny said she had not seen or heard about Chinese dance before, but, “I found it very interesting and enlightening. The Chinese dance left me with a deep impression. I think I will gain a great deal.”

Ms. Czerny added that the show was “refreshing”, “The programme was rich in content with various stories. The costumes were very colourful yet every-changing.”

Principal Viennese ballet dancer: the programme presented traditional values and reflected China’s reality

Ms. Gerit Schwenk is a ballet dancer at the Austrian National Opera House. She said after the show, “I loved the show, which was completely different from my daily experience.”

She very much admired the accuracy of the dancers’ moves: “I found it interesting to use dance to maintain tradition and to use footwork to demonstrate tradition. I was especially impressed by the accuracy of the dancers’ moves. From the beginning till the end, their formation as well as their moves was uniform. Such accuracy is rarely seen. I really admire them as I know it takes a great deal of hard work to achieve this.”

Ballet dancers from the Austrian National Opera House Ms. Gerit Schwenk and Mr. Gregor Hatala.

She added, “The show was exquisite. The dancers were completely in character. The programme was varied. These all impressed me. I thought it was fantastic to present and highlight tradition in dances.”

She was full of praise for the show’s content, which presented traditional values while depicting China’s reality, “I found it exceptional that the programme presented traditional values while depicting current themes – those political situations in China can hardly be seen in the country. Those combined (Chinese) dance techniques are completely different than what I know or have learned. But because the programme emphasised tradition, I felt wonderful.”

Headmistress of a dance school in Stockholm, Sweden: the show was pure beauty, one could feel the “truth”

Ms. Kathleen Quinlan Zetterberg came from a famous Swedish family of dancers. Her mother Isadora Duncan was a famous dancer. Kathleen herself had 30 years of experience in western classical dance and choreography. Her deceased husband Jan Zetterberg was the founder of the dance school in Stockholm, Sweden. Kathleen is now the headmistress of this dance school.

On 24th March 2008, Kathleen watched the DPA’s performance in the Swedish capital Stockholm and was very impressed by the pure beauty of the show, “The programme was fascinating and original. I have never really seen Chinese dance. This was the first time. It was brilliant. The costume was beautiful. The performers danced well. Their moves were pure beauty. What was shown was also pure. I could feel the “truth”. The whole show was very pure. The dances reflected “truthfulness” well, which is very important for a dancer.”

Dance school headmistress Ms. Kathleen Quinlan Zetterberg (right) and her daughter Lili Zetterberg, student at the Swedish Royal School of Ballet (centre).

As a famous dancer, Kathleen Quinlan Zetterberg experienced countless shows. She felt the special influence of the DPA performance: “I noticed another feature - the audience was very much into each piece. Sitting in the audience, you would be affected. The audience loved this programme, which is a rarity in Sweden. The show even changed the audience and brought out their enthusiasm. Indeed, perhaps many have been looking forward to this show for a long time. Finally they got to see this show. So they also treasured the opportunity of being able to sit here. Even I was moved.”

Kathleen’s daughter Lili Zetterberg is a student at the Swedish Royal School of Ballet. She enjoyed the songs, “Very exciting, very pretty. I loved those songs, even without translation. The singers had beautiful voices. The whole show was gorgeous, a Chinese spectacular indeed. It was a pleasure to watch a show like this as their voices were marvellous. I also liked the show’s music very much. The music set off their dance moves.”

Headmistress of a Swedish art school: the show is a must-see

The headmistress of an art school, Ms. Nadia Kevolej, is also an experienced dancer. Having seen the DPA’s 4th performance in Stockholm in 2008, she commented, “The show was brilliant. I am a ballet dancer myself. I could tell that the dancers were all professionals. The costumes were lovely and the backdrop was very colourful. All the dances were very expressive, which made the storylines easy to follow. The message in the dances also came across very clear.”

Headmistress of an art school and experienced dancer Ms. Nadia Kevolej felt the DPA show was brilliant.

Kevolej continued, “Each piece was outstanding but the dance that moved me the most was the Risen Lotus Flower. The female dancer did a wonderful job. It was obvious that she acted with her heart. It was so touching that my tears fell. The choreography was succinct, bright and beautiful. The message of the dance was also very clear.”

She said, “I will tell all of my friends they must come and see the show. Otherwise they will regret it. They won’t know what they missed!”

Headmistress of a Finnish dance school: the DPA show presented the basics of human nature

The 3rd largest city in Finland, Tampere, is known as the hometown of Santa Claus and Finland’s capital of theatres. Tampere has a thick cultural atmosphere and holds various cultural activities such as theatre festival, jazz music festival and film festival, etc. When DPA was staged on the 30th of March 2008, Santa’s fellow countrymen gave the brilliant show rounds of applauses. The headmistress of a dance school in Helsinki, Ms. Kaija Raty-Omar, was deeply moved.

Finnish dance school headmistress Ms. Kaija Raty-Omar cried during the DPA show.

Ms. Raty-Omar shared her feelings during the intermission, “It was marvellous. I am a dance teacher, so I’m very interested in this kind of show. I believe people need such beautiful dances to relax. Performances like this bring people the pleasure of beauty. Their dance moves were rich and beautiful. My favourites are Tang Drums and Nymphs of the Sea.

She said, “I cried many times during the performance. The music was very moving. I felt it with my heart. It was a higher performing art.”

Ms. Raty-Omar noticed delicacies of the dancers’ moves and the message set off by the backdrop, “I loved the programme. I really want to use some of the moves in Nymphs of the Sea in my dances. The dance was like a fairy tale. I observed the dancers’ hand movements, which were all exquisite. Also the backdrop was beautifully done. When combined with the dances, it helped deliver the messages in the dances.”

Ms. Raty-Omar once performed in over sixty countries and studied different local dance styles. In her opinion watching the DPA show made up for something missing for a long time. She said, “In the DPA’s dances, there is something most ancient, most original, which I have never seen before. I have never seen such a performance, which was a shame for me.”

“I have heard about Falun Gong as well as the current Tibetan issues from the media. They were more specific messages in the dances.” She said that DPA presented the most basic human nature. She hoped her students could receive tutoring from any of Shen Yun’s actors. She even suggested that they could follow the group to the US.

Having seen Divine Performing Art’s performances in 2008, many audience members hoped to see the show again in 2009. Their wish will soon come true. Tickets for the eight cities below can now be purchased on line.

Germany, Frankfurt – 21st-22nd February 2009
Belgium, Antwerp – 23rd-25th February 2009
France, Paris – 27th February-1st March 2009
Denmark, Arhus – 9th-10th March 2009
Norway, Oslo – 14th March 2009
Sweden, Stockholm – 18th March 2009
Sweden, Linkoping – 20th-21st March 2009
Germany, Berlin – 23rd-25th March 2009