WASHINGTON—On an unusually warm February night, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts was packed for the Divine Performing Arts (DPA) Company opening show on Feb. 10, an exclusive preview engagement not open to the public that was held in honor of U.S. veterans to thank them for their service and sacrifice.
Ms. Bynum, public relations professional, designer, owner of a fashion accessories company, and board member of various companies, had longed to see the DPA show for years.
“I’ve wanted to see this performance for a long time ... So when I found out that ... [the DPA Company was performing] at the Kennedy Center, it’s like, OK, I’m going—this is my year to go, and I hope to come back [in the future] because it’s such a fabulous production,” Ms. Bynum said.
As she continued she said, “What impressed me the most was the giving of the performers. When you see a performance a lot of times there may be three or four, five, or 10 different scenes. And this was just such a giving situation—you could [feel the energy from] the performers, the orchestra, the singers—I was so impressed with the singers, their voices were magnificent.”
Someone like Ms. Bynum, who has been involved in and has experienced many different disciplines, can truly enjoy a show such as the DPA on different levels.
“I was a music major at one time, so I know voices. It was such a touching program, it really was. From the dance, to the music ... and I have to have the music of this violin ... the erhu?” Ms. Bynum said.
“I studied violin when I was a young child and I was never really good at it, but I love the violin and I love to hear it—it’s such a rich instrument. I’ve never heard this instrument [the erhu] before, and it’s so rich and it’s so beautiful,” she said.
Audiences are often surprised by the expressiveness and powerful emotion conveyed by the two-stringed Chinese erhu, with its otherworldly quality that stirs the soul as few instruments can.
But it was not just the sounds that Ms. Bynum enjoyed; she also found joy in the presentation and scenery of the performance.
“The costumes were amazing, the colors—great colors together—the pinks, the greens, the fucias, the oranges, it was such a magnificent presentation. Whoever put this together, the choreography and everything, did an amazing job,” Ms. Bynum said delightedly.
There was so much more that Ms. Bynum found exhilarating and the sounds and visual experiences created an unforgettable experience for her.
She shared with a joyous look in her eyes, “The generosity, the spiritual aspect of the performance. I expected that it was going to be beautiful with dancers—I didn’t expect that I was going to be touched in my heart. That was really amazing—it was an amazing performance.”
There was so much in the show that impressed her, “I liked the one where the daughter [Mulan Joins the Battle] went to war for her father. I really did. My grandfather was a Texas Ranger so I’ve kind of got that spirit, that ... fighting spirit. He really couldn’t go to war, but she went to war for him—I loved that. That was so great.”
“It was amazing, it really was very touching and I guess that may have been my favorite scene ... Absolutely amazing ... I mean you know, you hear Chinese [music] but the richness of the instruments and the richness of the voices—of the singers—I really wasn’t prepared for that!”
Before leaving she said, “I think its the richness—it’s such a whole sound and the artists are obviously so into what they do that they make it that way. It was a beautiful experience, it really was.”
Please see DivinePerformingArts.org for more information.
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