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"It was absolutely beautiful—it was amazing," said Jena, an accountant, who saw the show on Saturday afternoon.
"The costumes, the emotion—actually at one part, I was crying. When they have the persecution of the family, I just thought that was so beautiful. The emotion in the faces, and then how quickly they were able to turn the emotion over to something joyous was amazing. It was absolutely beautiful."
The show depicts myths and legends from ancient China, contrasting with stories from modern-day China where spiritual belief is persecuted. Jena was referring to the dance, Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution, in which the father of a young girl was persecuted by the communist party for his belief in the spiritual practice of Falun Dafa.
Falun Dafa is a traditional spiritual practice rooted in ancient Chinese culture that was banned by the Chinese regime in 1999.
"I was very happy that they made that a focal point," said Jena.
"I don't think a lot of the awareness is out there as to what these people are going through—it's absolutely terrible," she said.
DPA is a New York-based performance company founded by leading Chinese dancers, choreographers, and musicians that seeks to revive China’s traditional culture and present it to audiences around the world through Chinese classical dance and music.
"The movements were just outstanding and the costumes were just beautiful," Jena said.
The costumes in DPA are all originally designed and handmade.
"I thought it was spectacular, flawless," said Matthew, also an accountant, who attended the show with Jena.
"I did like how tolerance and mercy can prevail to make such an amazing performance," he said.
Please see DivinePerformingArts.org for more information.
