(Clearwisdom.net) Many of the people in the audience at the Divine Performing Arts Chinese New Year Splendor attended with their families. Claire Francese, a recent graduate in biochemistry and psychology from Hunter College, came with her mother, sister, godmother, and her mother's best friend. Claire commented, "It's gorgeous! I love it! It's really amazing and very lively, and there is so much culture. I think it is absolutely one of the best shows I've ever seen!" When asked if she knew much about Chinese culture, Claire said, "I don't know everything, but I do read a lot of books about Chinese culture and tradition. I am definitely fascinated by it and extremely interested."

Laura Hutton, a student and computer security analyst, exclaimed, "It is a very beautiful show! I really looked forward to coming here to see it. Every year, actually, we have come to see it. It is quite beautiful." When asked if she had a particular favorite, Laura replied, "I like them all! We just saw the Tang drumming, and it was really fabulous. I noticed it is a lot bigger than the one that we saw earlier. It's a huge ensemble, a very huge ensemble, and it is just so dynamic. It is very vibrant and beautiful. You know, some of the performances tell a story and some of them are just beautiful to look at, something to appeal to everyone's taste."

Ms. Hutton said of the performance that portrays Falun Gong practitioners being persecuted in China, "'The Risen Lotus Flower' - I thought was was very touching. I noticed that the three performers in that piece were principle dancers, and to see them dance together was very moving. I know that they are very talented. The message is also very poignant and also uplifting."

Kristen, who works in media, brought her mother and father. The tickets were a Christmas gift to her parents. "I thought it was fantastic! It was really nice to see the different cultural aspects and all the costumes. I thought it was really well done." When asked if there was something she specifically liked, she thoughtfully replied, "It brought in some political aspects that raised awareness. The things that were going on in the community that were human rights issues - about Falun Gong." Kristen was asked if she knew about Falun Gong before seeing the show. "A little bit, but I thought this raised awareness. That it [the persecution in China] was a happening issue, and that it hasn't stopped."

Kristen came because, "It's nice to learn about different cultures and to try different things, expand one's horizons a little." Her mother commented, "I loved the show. It was beautiful! The costuming was beautiful, the dancing was lovely, and I liked how it was explained before each dance. It was most enjoyable." Her father also said it was "a very nice show."

Mr. Vincent Dimino, a senior manager in banking, attended the Spectacular with his mother. He said about the performance, "I thought it was wonderful! It is so different from what I am used to seeing, and very cultural. I love it, absolutely do." When asked about the cultural aspects, Mr. Dimino thoughtfully said, "I learned a lot seeing a different culture. I mean the spiritual side, the way they dance and how very creative and beautiful it is! I thought it was very emotional when you saw how they were beaten and then how doing the right [thing] they went to heaven. I feel very strongly about that. That is really something good."

His mother, Ms. Augastina Dimino, said the show was "very colorful and so educational."

Posting date: 2/24/2008
Original article date: 2/24/2008
Category: News & Media Reports

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