Danielle Martinez, a practice manager said “I love the costumes, the music, the stories, and I feel that it’s very relevant, especially in America, with what’s going on today, we’ve had a large stronghold of communism and socialism take place here in America. And I think that these stories are so important for everyone to view, to see what can happen when communism and socialism take over a country. So those are the things when I was watching it. Those are the things that I was thinking of.”
“This evening has been outstanding. So far, I have truly enjoyed the synchronization and the quality of the dance, and it’s just amazing. I’ve had an opportunity to see Chinese dancing in the past, but the quality of the dancing tonight is more supreme than anything I’ve seen,” said Roger Broderick, a real estate developer.
Joseph Giacona, a market manager said “I enjoyed watching young people just expressing themselves and just having fun and being very good at what they do. It was very obvious to me that these people were professionals. Even though they’re very young people, they’re experts at what they do, and it came across in everything that they did. So it was kind of energizing to watch the youthful experience and the joy that they expressed, and everything they did. It was great.”
Ms. Martinez said “I think that’s a fantastic mission, and I think that it’s so important to have their voices heard, because here in America, we can think about it in an idealistic sense of communism and socialism, but it’s so important to hear from people who have actually had that lived experience, because I think it’s much different. So to me, this is such an important thing for people to come and see and for the artists to be able to share those experiences with everyone.”
“I think that’s why these stories were banned in China, because it’s such a truism, it is such an important thing for people to have that piece of spirituality and the connection to the Divine. And you know when socialism and communism take over, that’s the thing that they try to get rid of first. So, yes, I just thought it was very important, very moving, very important,” said Ms. Martinez.
“What really strikes me is the fact that you’re presenting ancient China and how it has come forward to today,” said Mr. Broderick. “You can’t lose history and you can’t lose tradition. And what they’re presenting tonight is that tradition to live on.”
Jazmine Herrera, a data scientist said “I love the story behind it all. I love the fact that we got to see a lot of the history in the dance, a lot of the ancient traditions, the religion, things that we don’t really get to see in modern day, and a lot of how modern day society blocks our spirituality in a way. And I think being able to pause all of that, and watch those movements and things like that, we got to see basically how life was back then in ancient China, before modernity and before the rise of communism.”
Each performance also presents themes of spirituality, faith and morality, values found at the origin of traditional Chinese culture.
Katie Magee, a professional trauma counselor said “It seemed like every song had a story, and it told different stories. And I loved the morality that it presented as well, always esteeming what is good and what is honorable and rejecting, rejecting or pushing away what is negative or bad, and so I really appreciate the graceful, the beautiful, the athleticism in the music and in the dance was just amazing. I thought it was very powerful, very elegant and graceful, very lovely.”
Mr. Giacona said “The thing that surprised me the most was the spiritual element of it and how powerful it was, and that, yes, poor people have been repressed for not quite a hundred years. But Chinese culture goes back thousands of years, and this is only a small piece of time. I really don’t think that repression of the human spirit can last much longer. It’s bound to change. You can’t possibly keep all those human beings in repression forever. It’s gonna change.”
“Thank you so much for fighting and not giving up and pursuing the dream. Thank you for bringing like other beautiful creatives around you and inspiring the younger generation and all the different people all over the world to create beautiful and glorious, good things. So thank you. Don’t give up. Inspire more generations, inspire more people around the world. I just pray that beauty goes forward,” said Ms. Magee.
Ms. Martinez said “Thank you for bringing us such beautiful, moving stories. It was a really special experience.”
