2009 Chinese New Year Spectacular

Pasadena, California — Irony of ironies!  After the 1989 suppression of the Chinese pro-democracy movement, Communist Party boss Deng Xiaoping called for an end to debates about socialist economic theory and simply urged the masses to participate in capitalist commercialism and the pursuit of material wealth.  Conversely, a rapidly growing spiritual movement, called Falon Gong, preached a mind-body “cultivation practice” which included a transcendence from the very materialism preached by the erstwhile “Communists.”  Although the group is totally non-political, the government freaked and, in 1999, began a vilification and terror campaign against Falon Gong adherents.

A Falon Gong group based in New York formed the Divine Performing Arts company which promotes Chinese cultural heritage though music and dance. Buzzine caught their “2009 Chinese New Year Spectacular.”

Not bad.  One can’t compare the corps de ballet to the Kirov — and Cirque du Soliel has long cornered the best Chinese acrobats — but the show proved to be an enjoyable and informative evening, taking us through different Chinese ethnic regions and historical periods.

The two-hour performance (broken by an intermission) featured a potpourri of colorful costumes and dancing, some of it quite acrobatic, with a lively orchestra consisting of western and traditional Chinese instruments.  Between large production numbers, we were treated to two fervent tenors, a lovely soprano, and a surprisingly deep and delicious contralto, Jiansheng Yang.

The show contained a healthy dose of Falun Gong proselytizing.  Song lyrics, flashed in English and Mandarin against giant projected scenic backdrops, told of “Earthly glories never lasting long” and “Knowing the true picture, the road will be clear.” But hell, unless the messenger is coming at me with a raised scimitar and AK 47, I can handle another’s point of view.

(And FUCK anyone who would imprison these people for professing their beliefs anyway.)  But I digress…

A thunderous gong opened the show with “The Five Millennia Begin,” as the troupe took the stage in lavish costumes and intertwining choreography to celebrate 5,000 years of culture.  For those of us whose firsthand knowledge of Chinese culture has more to do with differences between Sichuan and Hunan cuisine, it was enlightening to observe the rigors and subtleties of Chinese classical dance.

A pair of attractive announcers would come between each act and give a bit of cultural/historical explanation: a perky Anglo guy speaking English and a beaming Asian lady speaking Mandarin, the dominant language of China today.  I’m guessing that half the audience spoke Chinese.

Stand-out numbers were “The Udumbara’s Bloom,” a particularly colorful display that told of a flower, from legendary Buddhist lore, that blooms every three thousand years; “The Poet’s Vision” showed China’s most celebrated poet, Li Bai — affectionatley known as the “drunken poet” — having a tipsy dalliance with comely moon fairies who inspire him to compose one of his masterpieces; and “Monk Ji Gong Abducts the Bride” told about a beloved historical figure remembered for his unorthodox and seemingly crazy manner of doing good works.

The show ended with “Knowing the True Picture Offers Ultimate Hope,” offering humans some divine help from above, as that final climatic page of history turns.

The Divine Performing Arts 2009 Chinese New Years Spectacular is presently touring the U.S.

And Chinese New Year is not until January 26th!