(Clearwisdom.net) Divine Performing Arts presented the Chinese New Year Spectacular to Denver audiences at Buell Theatre on January 30 and 31, accompanied by a live orchestra. The show celebrates traditional Chinese culture through art, song, dance, music, and story telling. Audience members shared their impressions of the show.

Woo Young Park was a dance professor in Korea at Dong A University in Puson. She came to the United States as an exchange student. "The show is so wonderful! And the music, especially makes me so homesick. Beautiful! The costumes, everything! And the stage accompaniment is unbelievable! Every performer is--their movement--not only is it perfection. It's even their expressions. And although it is all group dances--most of them--I can see that each of [the performers] has their own expression. I'm really impressed. I enjoyed it very much."

She continued on about her impression of the dancing in the show. "I think between dancer and the dancing there is very close communication. Through the movement [in these dancers], I can see that, and I was especially impressed with how the music and dance complimented each other. So, I thoroughly enjoyed this very much."

As a dancer, Woo commented on her impression of the level of skills demonstrated in the show. "The skill was huge, and the choreographer is tremendous! Really amazing! Whoever did the choreography--I wish I could meet them. But it's really, I don't know how he or she can so thoroughly create connection and expression of your own culture."

"One thing is for sure, it is really a fascinating show."

Monty Zeulfelt is a sculptor in Denver. "It was wonderful! I was just commenting to the others that all of the young people were so graceful, and the girls were so beautifully dressed. I really enjoyed it.

"I thought it was interesting how production incorporated spirituality into the performance; something that I do in my work. To see the descending of the higher beings, coming to influence humanity and their evolution.

"I look forward to coming back next year, too. If you have an opportunity to talk to the dancers, please thank them for all of their hard work in putting together such a delightful show for all of us in Denver."

Michael Ajumine is the owner of a small IT company. His wife, Angela Ajumine, brought him to the show to celebrate the Chinese New Year because her husband was born in the Year of the Ox, and this is the Year of the Ox.

Michael said, "We loved the show! It's very colorful, very exciting! The performers are obviously very skilled, and the emotion and the lights. I was just telling my wife, I won't be able to remember everything. It's so vivid, and it goes by so fast. And you feel like you're gonna miss it at the end."

"It's an explosion of color and light. And it's amazing! It's the best way I can describe the show."

Angela, who stays at home with their two boys, has a background in dance. She added, "And I'm enjoying it a lot because I've been a dancer my whole life. And it is spiritually uplifting because it gives us a sense of hope from the colors, and the happiness I feel from the dancers.

"It's very inspiring, the hand movements, they make everything look so easy, but I know that it's not easy. It's extremely difficult what they're doing. It's beautiful dance--the women and the men are just inspiring."

John Evans came to see the show with Michelle Evans. John is vice president of a video production company. "I thought the show was very entertaining. It was great to learn more about the culture--to see it portrayed through dance and through music. I really enjoyed the narrative story that we were hearing, describing what we were seeing with the dance and just having an opportunity to see and to gain insight into a culture that I was not as familiar with... I felt like I was seeing kind of a historical glimpse of various regions of China, to learn about the history from an earlier time as well as a time that is a little bit more contemporary--but to see that these stories that are something valuable and to be passed along. So, I felt like that was a valuable experience to also share in that."

Michelle Evans is a sales associate. "Oh, I loved the dancing, the costumes, the graceful movements of the dancers. And their athleticism was amazing. I enjoyed watching the stories unfold in the form of dance, hearing the language spoken, the music. It was just a visual feast for your eyes."