University VP Says Divine Performing Arts Show is ‘Sublime artistry’

INDIANAPOLIS—Divine Performing Arts (DPA) delighted the audience at the Murat Theatre in Indianapolis on Saturday, Jan. 31, with its unique presentation of Chinese traditional culture.

Ms. Hanson, executive vice president of a major Midwestern university, was highly impressed with DPA’s visual feast of classical Chinese dance and Chinese ethnic and folk dance performed to original music.

“It was marvelous,” she said. “It was sublime artistry. Spectacular—just marvelous in every respect.”

Ms. Hanson said she had seen the show before but not in its entirety. “The historical sweep, the beauty of every section of it—it was just inspiring.”

The New York-based DPA is composed of a unique group of leading artists who share in a vision of reviving Chinese traditional culture which was all but destroyed after the advent of communism to China.

“One of the things that struck me was the kind of melding of the arts into the performance and the window into culture, as well as the really superb artistry of every one of the performers, singers, and dancers, each one individually. Together it was breathtaking,” Ms. Hanson said.

When asked what she thought about the message the show imparted, she said, “It was wonderful. The sort of emphasis on compassion is something we can all learn a lesson from.”

Ms. Hanson added that she thought the show “was a marvelous window into all sorts of elements of Chinese arts and culture. My home discipline is philosophy, so I loved hearing about Confucius too—the same message of Socrates, about knowing what you don’t know.”

Commenting on other aspects of the show, Ms. Hanson said that the projected backdrops “were quite intriguing. I don’t know enough technologically to know how that’s produced, but it was an interesting way of conveying various elements of the narrative.”

DPA makes use of an innovative digital backdrop that provides an animated setting to frame each dance. In some of the pieces, the scenes on the backdrop interact with the dances on stage.

The show also features accomplished solo singers and musicians as well as a live orchestra that combines Chinese and Western music and instruments

“The music was wonderful too in each of the episodes of the singing and dancing. There was humor in the introduction of the orchestra. I think we all learned something and had a great experience,” Ms. Hanson said.

She described the piece, Mulan Joins the Battle as “terrific.” A legend in Chinese history, Mulan joined the army disguised as a man in her ailing father’s place.

Ms. Hanson concluded by saying that the show “taught all of us a lot about the history of Chinese culture …. Bringing things from the various provinces was a wonderful element of the show too. It was terrific.”

- The Epochtimes

(Video) Chinese Han Couture: Divine Inspiration

NTDTV, via Youtube-

Divinity: A word not often used to describe fashion. Yet when the clothing in question has the profound background of Han Couture, its the only word that will do.

The Han Chinese people have a saying that their culture is passed down from the heavens. China itself can be referred to as Shenzhou or the Divine Land. But can such deep spirituality really be seen in the very clothes that people wore during the Sui and Tang Dynasties and in these new creations theyve inspired?

[Lili Zhou, Competition Judge]:
We want to bring all these traditional things back. We just want to show the inner beauty and that is the very big message we want to send out.”

[Marie Copps, Fashion Designer]:
“I think we have to do that as a society as the whole world has to come back to more spirituality and deeper meaning than just money and material world”

[Maimouna Ngom, Recipient Honorable Mention]:
“That is what I like about this competition, because I read that the chinese culture was given by gods that is what they believe. So I said to myself when I design it has to be divine.”

The Tang Dynastys splendid painters and sculptors would lead devout lifestyles, meditate, and look to the heavens for inspiration in creating their artworks. It was often to these masterpieces that the clothing designers of those days would turn to find their models.

Whether casual or formal, the outfits themselves were created to reflect the mood and behavior of tranquil beings, in celestial realms.

At this weekends first annual Han Couture Global Design Competition, designers, models, and spectators shared what was for many a first-time experience: A fashion show where the physical beauty on display was matched equally, even exceeded, by spiritual beauty.

- NTDTV

Global Chinese Han Couture Competition Winners Come Out

Epoch Times Staff,  Oct 20, 2008 -

GOLD MEDAL WINNER: “Moments” by Zhaoqing Wang won the gold medal for the formal wear

NEW YORK—Silk painted with lotuses, long trailing sashes, and royal brocade were some of the fine details on display at the first Global Han Couture Design Competition held at Manhattan’s Prince George Ballroom on Sunday, Oct. 18.

The competition was part of a series of competitions held by New Tang Dynasty Television this year, including piano, violin, traditional Chinese dance, martial arts, and voice.

More even-paced than your average fashion show, several hours of eye-popping designs from over 50 contestants paraded down the catwalk. The designs ranged from familiar styles seen in traditional Chinese paintings—simple lines, broad panels and airy fabrics—to ones resembling those worn by characters in martial arts comic books.

The competition’s guidelines were to “borrow the patterns in clothing of the Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties…to create contemporary garments,” leaving the door wide open for a variety of styles and inspirations. But because the Western-Eastern combinations tended not to work, judges reverted to authenticity as their main judging criteria.

“Our selection process is designed this way because we want to use this to help guide the development of Han fashion down the line,” said judge Amy Li, who is an award-winning fashion designer trained in China. “We will be holding this competition in the future, we would like to see, in Chinese culture we have 5,000 years of fashion so we feel it’s already very rich and there’s a lot to draw upon already and we wanted to see a little bit more of that. There were some other pieces that were not as Asian and we felt that, having incorporated the western elements, even though it was nice in some cases, that it somehow doesn’t match, so it detracted from the overall effect.”

Each contestant was allowed to submit several pieces in two categories: casual wear and formal wear. In addition to a trophy and certificates of awards, $10,000 cash prizes were rewarded to gold winners, $5,000 to silver winners, and $2,000 USD to bronze winners.

Liqing Chen from Taiwan, whose pieces featured scooping sleeves and shapes that virtually leaped out from a painting, won silver in the casual division.

“Ancient Chinese fashion was very elegant, simple yet bold,” Chen said. “Mine was not very fancy but you don’t need a lot with Han couture to make it beautiful.”

Amy Li commented on the pieces that won gold in the formal wear division. Its theme was “Moments.” “The evening wear gold winner, the theme was ‘moment’ and we felt that it captured a moment in time of traditional Chinese couture,” Li said. “It was again very beautiful and at the same time very authentic.”

Some members of the fashion industry were in the audience. Sandi Grant, a New York fashion show producer, found the show impressive.

“The different colors, I loved the colors, the sequins, the embroidery, done stitch by stitch, they’re geniuses,” she said.

Lavera Wright, a former model and fashion consultant, now trains young models and holds fashion shows for upcoming New York designers. “It’s different from regular fashion shows,” Wright said. “The models took the time to pause, they really wore those gowns – they didn’t just run across the stage. They were elegant and graceful. That’s the way I am and how I teach my girls.” …… (more details)

The Chinese Splendor is ‘a visual feast’, Says Choreographer, Tap Dancing Master

By Wen Zhong and Sarah Matheson, Epoch Times Staff, Feb 09, 2008-

NEW YORK—Jerry Ames, an American choreographer and tap dancing master, was very impressed by the beauty of Chinese New Year Splendor on Friday night.

“The talent is very, very lovely, and the music and the setting is just gorgeous,” he said.

Mr. Ames has performed on Broadway, in nightclubs, on luxury liners, and on some of the major television channels in the United States.

(photo: Jerry Ames and his companion, Adorama at Splendor on Friday night/ by the Epochtimes)

His companion, Adorama, is a former dancer who is currently working with the Dance Notation Bureau.

She said she enjoyed watching the dancers’ footwork in “The Fruits of Goodness.” “Those two boys who got lost … I looked at their feet. Gorgeous. Beautiful feet—which shows obviously the training they’ve had,” she said.

Mr. Ames said the performances were all very unique. “And we particularly like the costumes, very lavish and beautiful,” he said. Adorama said the digital backdrops were also impressive. “On that scale, that’s very unusual to see, because the stage is so large, and then to have this projection,” she said.

Mr. Ames said Radio City Music Hall was the perfect venue for the show, “because it’s so large, it’s just beautiful.”

He really enjoyed the drums. “Oh that was very impressive…wonderful, wonderful,” he said.

Mr. Ames expected people would learn about the show through word of mouth. “I’m sure that everybody who saw it will tell their friends,” he said.

He said he also liked the sentiment behind the lyrics. “What impressed me were the lyrics speaking of freedom, and against tyranny … The music was great,” he said.

They both described the show as a “visual feast.”

“With the color schemes and the way the costumes blend with the setting is very impressive. It’s very elegant, very successful,” Mr. Ames continued. “We’re very impressed, it’s just beautiful … We’re very happy to be here.”

The Chinese New Year Splendor continues in New York through Saturday, Feb. 9. For other shows in the Divine Performing Arts world tour, please visit: http://www.DivinePerformingArts.org/

Source: Choreographer, Tap Dancing Master Says ‘Splendor’ is ‘a visual feast’

Canadian Cabinet Minister Has ‘No Words to Describe’ Chinese Spectacular

By Matthew Hildebrand, Epoch Times Ottawa Staff, Jan 15, 2008-

Playing to a sold-out crowd in Ottawa on Sunday, the Chinese New Year Spectacular, performed by the Divine Performing Arts company, dazzled a full house of 2,100 at the National Arts Centre, prompting a standing ovation.

Ontario’s Minister of Community and Social Services and Francophone Affairs, Madeleine Meilleur, had high praise for the performance.

“This show is just wonderful,” she exclaimed. “The costumes are outstanding, the choreography is wonderful—it’s a wonderful history of China through singing, dancing, and the costumes.

(photo: Ontario Liberal MPP Madeleine Meilleur. /Ivan Ning/The Epoch Times)

“I am so pleased I had the opportunity to see this show tonight as it represents very well the Chinese culture and traditions, and it’s just outstanding. There are no words to describe exactly what I saw tonight.”

Divine Performing Arts says its performances celebrate human dignity and positive values, aiming to provide an experience of consummate beauty and goodness.

“The music was wonderful; the singer had a beautiful, beautiful, golden voice.”

“The message is very clear,” Meilleur added. “You see through the dance, the choreography, the pain that Chinese people have gone through.”

Hosted in Ottawa by New Tang Dynasty TV and the Falun Dafa Association of Canada, the Spectacular will visit Europe, Asia, the U.S., and Australia before returning to Canada in April and May.

- Source: the Epochtime