‘Vision of peace, hope and truth’

The Divine Performing Arts (DPA) International Company performed at the San Diego Civic Theater on the evening of Dec. 27. The Maldonaldo family were amongst the audience who were touched by a vision of peace, hope and truth captured in the traditional Chinese dances and performances.

Mrs. Maldonaldo contrasted the female dancers with the many that we see today: “They show off their beautiful dresses. In other shows, they show off their bodies. I like the way that [they] are covered. They don’t have to show skin. It not sensual, it’s more of a beauty, an inner beauty, it’s very different, they can be covered and they are very beautiful, and feminine and graceful.”

Mr. Maldonaldo, a human resource director, admired the male dancers for their dedication and strength. He said: “They are very charismatic, and it shows they work hard. This is a little bit more graceful, the style of the dance is different, they put all their heart into it. They want to show the audience that this [is] something that has being going on for thousands of years. This [show] has been practised for many thousands of years. I really appreciate that.”

They also shared their understanding of the inner meanings of some performances. Mrs. Maldonaldo said: “Hope and knowing the truth, and if you know the truth you’ve got hope.” Mr Maldonaldo added: “I think it is about doing the right thing, always do right, what ever you do with people and work and tradition. I think this brings out the culture too. I would say for me, peace and the truth.”

Son, Eli, felt that the DPA show gave him a much better view of Chinese culture, very different to what he sees on television. He said: “I think it was a lot different view from what we see on TV. On TV we see how China is a communist country, I am really interested in the culture, I like the people, I like the food, I like everything, but on TV we don’t see what it’s all about. You know we saw the Olympics, but we didn’t see what Chinese people feel about their culture. This was culture. I don’t dance but I can appreciate it. I can see they have skills.”

Adopted daughter, Ivy, from Mongolia felt proud to be Chinese. After watching the show she said: “It makes me proud of where you are from. I think it represents all of us, we are all the same inside, we all want to see beauty and we want to share how we feel about things through dance and through music and talent, and you see that up there on the stage. It’s beautiful. I think they should do it every year, it’s good.”

San Diego will host its final show for this season on Dec. 28.

 
Please see DivinePerformingArts.org for more information.