(Clearwisdom.net) Divine Performing Arts (DPA) performed an afternoon and evening show at the Rochester Auditorium Theatre on Saturday, February 21, 2009. The two shows received standing ovations and very enthusiastic reviews.

Martial Arts Professor: "It Really Is a Beautiful Experience"

Mr. Baddeley, a professor at a local post-secondary educational institute, teaches martial arts and stress management. With 26 years of martial arts training, Mr. Baddeley was highly impressed by DPA.

Mr. Baddeley, a professor at a local post-secondary educational institute, teaches martial arts and stress management.

"I like the dancers a lot--a lot of discipline and beautiful movements. It's truly a pleasure to watch people who have practiced so long to perfect their form and their art. It really is a beautiful experience," he said.

Beyond the beauty and discipline, Mr. Baddeley said he appreciated the stories behind the dance, especially "Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution," the story of a young father who is persecuted for practicing Falun Dafa, a traditional Chinese spiritual discipline. "The happy ending, the message of hope ... I think everybody needs [this message] right now, so that was a very, very nice story. The dance just translated that message and it came across so easily. It was easy to understand that."

He also enjoyed "Welcoming Spring," a colorful fan dance that brings to life the magnificent new blossoms of spring. It was "absolutely amazing to watch, not only the dance on the stage, but also how the backdrop performs and changes, and the flower's bloom."

"It's always nice to see an event like this come through, especially with such a big culture in Rochester. It's really, really a pleasure to see such a diverse show, you can really get a taste of ancient China," said Mr. Baddeley.

Ballet Instructor: "The Technique Is Amazing"

"The technique is amazing," said ballet instructor Patty, who attended the show with Mark, a Kung Fu instructor and musician. "The girls are beautiful. The men are unbelievable--everything, it's impeccable, it's great," she added.

Ballet instructor Patty, and Mark, a Kung Fu instructor and musician

Patty, who performed at the Rochester Auditorium Theatre herself as a dancer, was very impressed by the costumes. "Gorgeous, I'm getting ideas for myself. It's wonderful," she said.

Patty described the interaction between the dancers and the digital backdrops. "It's great," said Patty. "When that person comes down from Heaven and then they're live on the stage and then goes back in to the screen--it's done so well. You feel like you're right in there. You feel like you're right on stage with them during the performance," she said.

Patty also noted a special relationship between DPA orchestra and the performers. "I'm a dancer who prefers to dance with live musicians so I love that, I love the camaraderie, the connection that they have," she said.

Theater Teacher Praises Drama of Divine Performing Arts

Ms. Ramos came to see the matinee show with her teenage daughter Aurora, who studies dance, and three of her daughter's dance friends: Alicia, Karis, and Damaris. She said there were ten others from different dance companies also at the show.

Ms. Ramos, who teaches children's theatre, said, "I loved the sequence of dramas of the dances, and the history of China--I thought it was wonderful."

"Beautiful! The cinematography and the choreography were great; the costumes were amazing. And even though we were sitting in the balcony, the dance, the movement, and the gestures of the dancers were amazing."

"It was really beautiful. They have put lot of hard work and time in and thought really well about what they were going to do. It was beautiful," added Damaris.

Theater President Taken by Artistic Quality of the Show

Mr. Jeffries is the president of a $15 million organization that owns and operates one of Rochester's classic theaters, bringing Broadway shows to northwestern New York.

Mr. and Mrs. Jeffries

"It was a culturally different experience. I loved it. I thought it was great. I see a lot of shows, but this one was unique, it was different, and very professionally done."

"We do a lot of Broadway things, we do a lot of soul, and we do a lot of concerts and stuff. It was much different, but it was just excellent, it was different but very good."

Mr. Jeffries's wife was thrilled with what she saw, saying, "I loved it, it was fantastic." She particularly liked the traditional Chinese cultural elements of the show. "The different stories and the history. It was excellent. I have never been exposed to any of that before--it was great."

Mrs. Jeffries said she "loved" the shows East-meets-West symphony orchestra. DPA orchestra begins with a classical Western orchestra as its foundation and augments this with traditional Chinese instruments.

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