United States: Divine Performing Arts Celebrates Chinese Culture, Earns Rave Review from Cincinnati Audience

The Divine Performing Arts (DPA) New York Company completed its successful shows at the Cincinnati Music Hall in Cincinnati, Ohio on the evening of December 23rd, 2008. The exquisite performance won a big round of applause from the audience.

Divine Performing Arts New York Company answers a curtain call in Cincinnati on December 23rd

An attentive audience in Cincinnati

Government officials issued proclamations and sent congratulatory letters for the DPA premiere in Cincinnati

This is the first time that DPA has performed in Cincinnati, and the sponsor of the show received proclamations and congratulatory letters from Ohio government officials. They commended the DPA's efforts in touring 60 cities around the country, bringing traditional Chinese culture to an audience of over six hundred thousand. Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory proclaimed December 23rd, 2008, "Divine Performing Arts Day" in Cincinnati. He stated in the proclamation that the DPA show "can inspire and uplift people's minds."

Performing artists are amazed

Well-known gospel singer Ms. Barksdale attended the show and said that she had never seen such a dynamic and colourful performance. She was amazed at the brilliant colours of the costumes.

As a devout religious believer and singer, Ms. Barksdale was deeply impressed by the spiritual meaning conveyed in the show. She said when she listened to soprano Pi-ju Huang sing, "Hesitate No Longer," she saw images of gods in the backdrop and felt as if the artist was singing the praises of God, and that divine beings were hearing her sing.

Dr. Rudnick, artistic director of a performing arts school in Cincinnati, attended the show with his students. He commended the DPA show: "Everything was beautifully performed. Very well timed. Beautiful movement from the dancers. Everything was very very well done. Perfectly in sync. The musicians played beautifully. Just a wonderful collaboration of bringing so many different art forms together. That's what I like most about the show. It brings so many wonderful traditional Chinese art forms together, but kind of puts it in a package that an American audience can really appreciate."

He also said, "The ability to get an insight into and to see another culture and to get kind of a quick 5,000-year history of Chinese culture in a beautiful presentation like this is phenomenal. It's absolutely phenomenal. We need more of this. "

A Chinese audience member is proud of the show

Ms. Mao, who works in a children's hospital, really enjoyed the DPA show. She said that she thought the dances were amazing. She also said, "I feel good about the show. Their enthusiasm and skills were excellent."

As a Chinese, seeing how the DPA show presented the essence of China's divinely-inspired culture, Ms. Mao was amazed. She said, "I was emotional. They were able to showcase China's 5,000 years of civilisation, in particular, presenting it in the US. I, too am also proud of China's 5,000 years of splendid culture."

Learning about Chinese culture through the DPA show

"Enjoy the Arts" is a local arts group in Cincinnati. It strives to provide young people with opportunities to experience the arts. The director of the group, Kristin Suess, enjoyed the DPA show and thought the costumes and dances were incredibly beautiful. She said that she had gained more knowledge about Chinese culture.

Though Chinese culture and art is a new field for Ms. Kristin, she said that there were no difficulties in her understanding the content of the programmes. She talked about the new knowledge she had gained from the show. "I saw the influence of Chinese culture over the West in the show. For example, they talked about ballet and acrobatics, which actually originated in Chinese dance."

The Divine Performing Arts New York Company has left Cincinnati and is now in Chicago. It will present three shows at the Civic Opera House in Chicago on December 27th and 28th.