Swedish Artist: An Excellent Display of Traditional Chinese Values (Photo)

(Clearwisdom.net) On the evening of March 27, 2008, the Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular in Linköping, Sweden came to a close amid the audience's long applause. Tickets to the show were sold out two weeks before the show. Well-known artist Lars Hoffsten, his wife Joanne Hoffsten, and their two daughters Alice and Johanna all came to see the show. After the performance they shared their enthusiasm for the evening's performance.

Artist Lars Hoffsten and his wife and their two daughters attended the show

Lars Hoffsten said, "I enjoyed the colors of the show, the delicate dance, and the music, of course. Everything was excellent, excellent."

Mr. Hoffsten is a professional painter and drummer. He is from a family of artists. His father Gunnar Hoffsten was a trumpet player, his sister Louise Hoffsten was a famous blues and rock singer and has made 14 CDs.

Wife Joanne, originally from the US, is a renowned artist as well. Joanne works in media and has held exhibitions in the US. Europe and South Africa. When talking about the costume of the Mongolian Bowl Dance, she said, "What attracted me was the small green pearls decorating the dancers' headdresses. It's really an excellent inspiration."

Lars continued, "I liked their dance, too. It seemed like they were floating in water."

Joanne said, "I like the dance, 'Nymphs of the Sea'. I think this dance is perfect. I know my husband also enjoyed that dance. The waving of the silk and the glittering of the water on the backdrop. It was so beautiful!'

Their daughter Johanna, 14 years old, started to learn dance from the age of 7. She said, "The Spectacular was very beautiful."

Younger daughter Alice is 12 and she started to learn ballet from 5. She said, "I like the colors of the costumes very much, and I think everything of the show was excellent."

Alice said, "It is different from what I learned, but I like it. If I could dance Chinese dance, that would be great!"

Lars is a drummer and plays in several bands. Therefore, he enjoyed the drum dances of the show very much. He said, "As for the drum dance, I really liked the last number, 'Victory Drums.' I liked it very much. I realized that the drums are very special, very powerful."

Lars described the show as "a taste of different cultures and traditions. I cannot say I know much about Chinese culture and tradition, just part of it, so I am familiar with some issues. Some of the performances' details are not unfamiliar to me. I came here for appreciation and learning."

Joanne said, "Before the show, we talked with several people. They explained that the goal of the Spectacular is to display traditional Chinese values through folk tales and dances. I think they are doing very well." Lars said, "It was very creative!"

He continued, explaining that his grandmother wanted to see the show very much. She is a very vibrant person and very interested in culture and history, curious about other nationalities, their way of living, and their values. As she enjoys dance and music,

Lars said, "From the very beginning when we heard the news of the Chinese Spectacular, we decided to attend it. It is very interesting. We heard about this show for the first time last December and after that we were really looking forward to seeing it."

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