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PARIS—Ms. Marie Coudret, an entrepreneur and owner of an environmental business, and Mr. Jean Martial Storise, a retired fireman, have wanted to learn more about other cultures.
With its unique portrayal of Chinese traditional culture, what better way to learn than to see Divine Performing Arts (DPA), the world's premier Chinese dance and music company, which was performing at the Palaise Congress in Paris, a well-known venue for a range of shows, musicals, concerts, business, and cultural activities, between Feb. 27 and March 1.
With an unprecedented collaboration of leading Chinese dancers, choreographers, and musicians, DPA seeks to breathe new life into traditional Chinese culture and arts, which has long suffered under Chinese communist rule.
Ms. Coudret and Mr. Storise were not disappointed. They were treated to stories from China's 5,000-year-old history—ancient heroic legends to modern courageous tales.
"I really liked the show. Really liked it. It's very, very beautiful! It's very traditional. It makes you really like China, really like Falun Dafa, and all that defends traditional values. We really, really enjoyed it," Ms. Coudret shared with a delighted voice.
What they had not expected was an orchestra that played both Western and Chinese instruments. The DPA orchestra combines Western and Chinese musical instruments to create a unique and beautiful sound. Currently it is the world’s only orchestra that embraces both Western and Chinese instruments together. Ms. Coudret was quite surprised with this new sound.
"[I liked] the dance and the culture," she said.
Mr. Storise was equally happy he had come to the show and said, "It was really good, the music and the dance. I really enjoyed the mix of classical music and Chinese instruments, it's very pretty."
When asked what his favorite piece was, Mr. Storise said, "In order of preference, the tenor singer, the pianist, the costumes—the dance and the orchestra are obvious successes."
Friday, Feb. 27 was the opening night for the DPA in Paris, with the final performance there on Sunday, March 1. DPA will continue its 2009 World Tour with performances in London on March 3–7 and in Aarhus, Denmark on March 9–10.
For more information, please visit DivinePerformingArts.org
