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Audience members Mr. and Mrs. Schmitelin are from Japan and run their own business.
Mr. Schmitelin was in awe of the Dance of the Snow-Capped Mountain, a glimpse into the character of people who, undaunted by the snow and harsh environs, celebrate the joys of living in the cold and remote Tibetan steppes.
"It's very pretty, magnificent colors and beautiful music. I really liked the Tibetan dance, it was remarkable, really nice color. Spectacular, a homogenous mixture of color and movement," he said.
Mrs. Schmitelin enjoyed the story-based dances, which are an integral part of DPA performances. Audiences may see the heroism of China's great general, Yu Fei, the legendary heroine, Mulan, or the courageous Falun Gong practitioners persecuted in China today. Others are humorously entertaining and still more just gladden the heart.
"I really like the dance with the young dancers with the flowers. I found that to be very light and with finesse. The feminine characters were really the height of graciousness, it was femininity to the extreme,” Mrs. Schmitelin said.
"The men were very vibrant, but we could still sense the impact of the wartime. So from the artistic as well as the tragic historical sense, we felt it [emotions] through this. … What I learned about the Tibetan style was the colorful rhythms."
China's vast region is home to dozens of ethnic groups and folk traditions. Each group typically has its own colorful dance techniques, dress, and music.
Stylist: 'I was blown away'
For showgoer, stylist Ms. Cusso, seeing “an Asian show” for the very first time blew her away. Furthermore, the experience was, as if she had just opened her eyes and everything was new and different. “I noticed the costumes; the color schemes were amazing. As a stylist, to mix brown with red, yellow, and fuchsia—it's unheard of. And the aesthetic side really pleased me, I was blown away, in fact.
"We learned that we Occidentals are too conventional. It's a real source of inspiration, everything was flying. We think of so many things and see many images, we don't only see the men, we see a total splendor of colors."
She described the segment Flowing Sleeves, reminiscent of the celebrated Tang Dynasty imperial court as “a communion with nature. The long sleeves are inspiring. For me, it's a huge source of inspiration.”
Ms. Cusso said the French had a habit of color coding. “That is to say, we would not be mixing red with pink, nor fuchsia with turquoise, but the last dance [Knowing the True Picture Offers Ultimate Hope] was so extraordinary. There were neutral colors, like brown, associated with vibrant colors, and it was just no limit to the imagination."
For the artist, she said the show was unexpectedly spiritual, “really, a true source of inspiration, so now I will think 'spirituality' in my collections—and beauty … because in fact it is so beautiful."
The last piece, Knowing the True Picture Offers Ultimate Hope has the same theme explored in the opening dance, The Five Millinnia Begin. Namely, that the culture of antiquity was brought by higher lives and was meant to sustain the moral values of humanity. It calls on people to discern the truth state of affairs so that they may have hope of being saved by the divine.
'It was absolutely remarkable'
Another appreciative audience member was Mr. Pernet, a staff member of the Ministry of Defence.
"The most impressive was the artists’ grace, the dexterity in the music and the movements. As for the general look of the show, we were really interested in the variety of the dances, the choreography, the songs, and also the variety of regions represented,” Mr. Pernet said.
He loved “the fan dance, [Welcoming Spring], which was springlike and heralded the return of spring. It was really gracious." He was exhilarated by the Tibetan dances. “They were remarkable. With the Himalayas in the backdrop, it was absolutely remarkable.”
He encouraged the DPA New York-based company to persevere and spread traditional Chinese culture throughout Europe.
Marianne, a sinologist, was also in the audience. "It was very pleasant, very diverse, especially the last dance. I must say that the last dance was really very beautiful, magnificent. The singers also. What made the most impression on me were the male dancers.”
She thought there was nothing unusual about their athleticism, but as a group their movements were even more impressive.
New Tang Dynasty TV and Sound of Hope Radio contributed to this article.
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