Sue-Maya Hawass, the co-founder of Peak Health VIP, said, “I am a dancer also, so when I watched it, I was impressed by the unity of everybody. They were all synchronized. They were doing amazing. They felt like one unit. So that was my favorite part about the show, and also the expressions, the stories, the singing. Everything about it was magnificent. It’s very beautiful.”
“I was just amazed. It’s just all the colors and the dance and everything is so well timed. And also with the 3D graphics in the background, I have to say that I really like the women’s costumes, and I like the water sleeves a lot. That was really, really beautiful. And I could hear the people 'wow' around me when they were doing that,” said Caroline Pietrangelo, an artist.
“The music plus the dance together were all just very well done,” said Daniel Monte, a musician. “One of the dances—water sleeves it was—me and my girlfriend were cheering up at that one because it’s just the look and the fluidity of the dance, I knew it’s very strenuous dance, you can tell they’re jumping, they’re flipping, they’re doing all these things. But there’s fluidity connected to it."
Liliane Dableh, an assistant professor, said, “It really transported us to a different land and a different time. And it brought us back to traditional values, dance, and beauty, and like expression of the human soul. And all these things that are universal. They really transcend humanity. So it’s really such a beautiful story. And I appreciate that we went from the heavens to the palace, to the countryside, to everyday life. So really powerful, it drives you into a beautiful narrative. I really appreciate it. I learned a lot and the dance is beautiful as well. Very talented dancers.”
Ms. Pietrangelo said, “It shows me how they were very repressed during communism. It’s nice that they’ve brought this together in the early 2000’s to show the beauty of China and the culture and what happened, because sometimes we don’t know, right? So I find that very interesting and you’re learning, but it’s fun, right? So it’s been really enjoyable.”
From legends to myths, each piece in the performance explored themes of culture, divinity, and faith. Audience members said those themes felt especially meaningful today.
Ms. Pietrangelo said, “They talk a lot about the spirit. It’s very important, especially now in this day and age with all computers and everything. I do find that we’re losing our spirit and our cultural sensibilities to that.”
“As humans, we all need some connection to something higher than ourselves and higher than the world. I think we all have a longing for something, something outside of ourselves,” said Ms. Dableh. “I think when we are so self-centered and looking within. We lose connection with a greater purpose. I think purpose is really important for all of us humans. It keeps us connected with that greater purpose.”
