By Li Jingfei and Zheng Haishan

(Clearwisdom.net) On February 17, 2007, the 2007 Chinese New Year's Eve, the New Tang Dynasty TV (NTDTV) New Year Spectacular reached its peak as its seventh and final show opened to another full house. Before the Spectacular's first show at Radio City Music Hall on February 14, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg proclaimed the day as "NTDTV Chinese New Year Spectacular Show Day." During the four days of performances, approximately 28,000 people braved frigid cold and snow to see the Spectacular.

Dance "Creation": In the opening scene, heavenly beings gather. Looking down at our world, a Buddha expresses that he will go to earth and bring goodness to humankind, inviting the others to join him. He then appears in the Tang Dynasty as an emperor. Many consider the Tang Dynasty Chinese history's golden age, and believe its culture was divinely inspired

Dance "Herding on the Mongolian Plains ": The dance portrays brave and heroic young men riding horses on the vast grasslands of Mongolia

"Victory Drums" invokes righteous spirit and courage

The nearly 6,000-seat Radio City Music Hall is almost full

Audience absorbed by the performances

In the most luxurious indoor theater in the world capital of culture and arts, the Chinese New Year Spectacular presented a variety of grand dances, vocal and instrumental solos and a live orchestra, the Tianyin Orchestra. In addition, the Spectacular featured unique world-class backdrop designs using a high-end full-sized LCD screen. With a perfect marriage between traditional arts and modern technology, the Spectacular presented a collection of world-class performances with purity, compassion and beauty, creating a sensation on Broadway and eliciting overwhelming enthusiastic comments from the audience.

The Spectacular not only caught the attention of mainstream society and media, but also was recognized as a grand New Year event for overseas Chinese. The four-day run attracted people of all ages, from infants of several months old to seniors in their nineties. For many elderly overseas Chinese who have lived in the U.S. for decades, it was their first time to watch a Chinese show with authentic Chinese culture. The Spectacular portrayed the essence of traditional Chinese culture, revealed many touching truths, and illuminated the beginning of a new page for human civilization.

The performances began with a grand dance, "Creation." In the opening scene, heavenly beings gather. Looking down at our world, a Buddha expresses that he will go to earth and bring goodness to humankind, inviting the others to join him. He then appears in the Tang Dynasty as an emperor. Many consider the Tang Dynasty Chinese history's golden age, and believe its culture was divinely inspired.

Choreographer and lead dancer Vina Lee said, "The traditional Chinese culture was imparted by heavenly beings, and the Tang Dynasty culture is the most representative Chinese culture, with the highest achievement. The show reproduces many precious historical facts which can inspire the audience to ponder: Where do human beings come from and where does human culture come from? They may find the answers from the Spectacular."

The Dance, "A Dunhuang Dream" portrays how a sculptor received inspiration from Gods in a dream because of his pure heart and piety and how he then crafted thousands of life-like Buddha statues in the Dunhuang Caves.

Ms. Wang of New York once visited the Yungang Caves in Datong, Shanxi Province. She said she was amazed by the magnificent traditional culture and at the same time was wondering how ancient people could have such wisdom to craft so many life-like Buddha statues. "After seeing this program, I now understand how the statues were crafted and have a new understanding on why China is known as 'The Divine Land.'"

While the legendary Chinese heroine Mulan became well known in the West through Walt Disney's feature animation in 1998, her popularity in China reaches back centuries. Her celebrity status owes much to the "Ballad of Mulan," which dates from China' s Northern Wei dynasty (386- 34 C.E.). Mulan is said to have disguised herself as a man in order to serve in the army in place of her elderly father. Only after she returned from triumphant battle was her true identity discovered. She was honored for her bravery.

The dance programs presented the authentic Chinese culture, which emphasizes harmony between Heaven, Earth and human beings:

"Forsythia in Spring" portrayed the blooming forsythia with carefree movements and bright costumes that express feelings of hope and renewal. The melody and use of handkerchiefs in the dance are distinctive of China's northeastern region.

"Ladies of the Manchu Court" presented an imperial dance. The dancers are accompanied by royal Manchu-style music as they move gently in raised shoes. Manchu women were known for their elegance, refinement, and virtuous demeanor.

"Rainbows" features colorful ribbons in motion, accompanied by the tune of the northeastern Chinese folksong, "A Night with a Crescent Moon."

Matt Kutolowski, a Ph.D student in Eastern Culture at the University of Columbia, speaks fluent Chinese. He said, "The authentic Chinese culture has nothing to do with the Communist culture. The NTDTV programs are great and admirable. I feel that this is the beginning of a renaissance of the Chinese culture. The show is very, very precious."

Matt Kutolowski understood that the show conveys a message to the viewers: Life is precious and people should think about why humans come to this world and where they will go.

He said, "After seeing the show, I felt refreshed and it seemed that everything around was new. When I looked at each person around me, I knew that they all came from a noble origin. This understanding delighted me from inside and I cannot help laughing."

With their elegant voices, renowned Sopranos Jiang Min and Bai Xue, Alto Yang Jianshen and acclaimed Tenor Guan Guimin called on the precious Chinese people to find the truth for their future well-being. Many members of the audience were moved to tears.

Soprano Xue Bai sang "Auspicious Words" in which she repeatedly reminded her audience to remember, "Dafa Hao" (Dafa is Good).

Alto Yang Jianshen said: "Falun Gong practitioners are fulfilling their prehistoric vows by tirelessly clarifying the truth of Falun Gong to people. However, they do not mean to force anyone to believe in their belief. Instead, they hope that people can judge what is right and wrong based on the facts so that they can be spared when the destruction of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) comes."

Lester Cohen, CEO of a medical equipment company, was touched by the lyrics of these songs. He said that the lyrics are wonderful, with great compassion and truth, and are very inspiring.

"I didn't see any influence of the CCP in the Spectacular, however, I discovered a lot problems that the CCP has," Cohen said.

Magola Spiegel said that he learned that one should be sincere, disciplined and humble and live a quality life following traditional values.

Ballet instructor Susan Van Valen said that she cried when she learned the story behind the Dance, "Candlelight Vigil," which depicts the unyielding spirit of Falun Gong practitioners during the most brutal persecution

Mr. Cohen, CEO of a medical equipment company, said that the songs inspired him to ponder the meaning of life. He said that the lyrics were wonderful, with great compassion and truth.

Documentary producer Andrea said, "I believe that the arts cannot exist independent of politics and history. One should not only appreciate the beauty of traditional Chinese culture but also appreciate people's admirable efforts in preserving such a beautiful culture. It is very important to incorporate them together."

Leeshai Lemish, host of the Spectacular, speaks fluent Mandarin and Cantonese. He said, "The Chinese New Year is also a time for Chinese to memorialize their family members who have passed away. Dancers of the "Candlelight Vigil" memorialized the Chinese Falun Gong practitioners who have been persecuted to death by the CCP, while a singer sang, "Spheres of candlelight, one after another, spreading forth, like a ray of hope that spreads far and wide the beauty of honesty, kindness, patience... So light up a candle and let compassion and truth spread forth. Light up a candle and illuminate the world."

Drama critic Ms. Guo Jingzi said, "It seems that the stars in the sky and the candlelight were calling people to awaken from the maze. Though candlelights are gentle and soft, a presentation of so many is very powerful and moving."

1963 Best Actress Oscar winner, Patricia Neal, said that she enjoyed the show and had a wonderful night. She said that she loved every performance, every song and every dance. "I will come back next year," she said.

Renowned Broadway actor Joel Vig said, "The show is very good." He said that he liked the Bowl Dance and Rainbows dance.

Paul Catafago, executive director of a nonprofit cultural organization, "The Source is One," said, "The show has a lot performances, and it is hard to believe that so many performances of different types can be put together so efficiently. The Spectacular can be compared to any Broadway show." He said that he loved the music and he could tell that the composers must have a deep understanding of the performances as the music matched the programs so perfectly.

"They can be called musical choreographers. I would like to meet these musicians," he said.

Harold Channer is a producer and anchor for a Manhattan cable TV station and is very interested in Chinese culture. After he watched the first half of the Spectacular, he exclaimed: "Beautiful, costumes, dances... In addition, the lyrics directly tell the evil nature of the CCP and its doomed fate. I like NTDTV. They produced such a great show for the viewers," Dr. Channer said.

Dan Miller, an anchor for WVOX TV, said, "The show is great. I recommend it to everyone. For next year, I recommend that everyone buy tickets. It is not enough to just watch it once, one should watch it twice. If the NTDTV Show once again coincides with Valentine's Day, bring your loved ones. This is a great gift for Valentine's Day."

The Spectacular has now drawn to a successful conclusion in New York City. It gave the audience not only an amazing cultural experience but also a lot of inspiration.

Posting date: 2/19/2007
Original article date: 2/19/2007
Category: Falun Dafa Worldwide
Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2007/2/18/149276.html

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