Epoch Times Staff Feb 14, 2009

Ms. Lee, principal of the Eon-Hwa Lee Dance Group (Courtesy of Eon-Hwa Lee)

DAEGU, South Korea--An accomplished Korean dancer was highly impressed by the Divine Performing Arts (DPA) show she attended on February 1, at Suseong Artpia in Daegu.

"The artistic level of the entire performance is very high. The hand gestures of the female dancers are especially delicate and beautiful. I'd want to adopt them into our Korean dance performances," said Ms. Lee.

Ms. Lee is a senior dance professional in Korean artistic circles. She teaches and performs traditional Korean dances. She learned about the show from some of her friends who praised DPA after attending previous shows.

"My friend said: 'The performance is spectacular, the costumes are exquisite, and the dancers are outstanding. Chinese dances are unique in their costumes and choreography.' So I came with a learning mindset," Ms. Lee said.

Since all DPA programs are created with Chinese history as the central theme, watching the show is like immersing oneself in China's 5,000-year-old culture.

The choreography as well as the costumes worn by the female performers also impressed Ms. Lee.

"The choreography in DPA's Welcoming Spring has reached the pinnacle of perfection. The colors of the costumes are so lustrous that I wanted to stretch out my hands and touch them. The stunning backdrop designs surprised me--I'd love to learn from this designer."

DPA's state-of-the-art backdrops are custom-designed to coordinate with the costumes, choreography, lighting, and storyline for each dance.

One of Ms. Lee's favorite dances was Dance of the Yi. One of southern China's largest ethnic groups, the Yi people are known for their passion for music and dance, and in this dance the dancers are adorned in striking rainbow-like "circle skirts."

"The most unforgettable sight is how the ribbons on the costumes drifted weightlessly in the air as they spun. This is entirely different from the spinning movements seen in Korean dances."

In conclusion, Ms. Lee emphasized that DPA educates theatergoers in Chinese history and culture. Through themed stories of historical characters such as the poet Li Bai, the audience could better understand the essence of traditional Chinese culture. She said she would like to introduce the DPA performance to her students.

Source http://theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/12004/