'Song and dance' show brings Chinese culture to audiences around the world

By Cindy Chan and Joan Delaney, Epoch Times Staff
Nov 06, 2007

China once went by the name "The Land of the Divine" (Shen Zhou), because the people of the time believed that Chinese culture was a gift from the heavens.

From imperial court protocols to fine arts, music, fashion, and even science, all aspects of the society were aligned with the divine order.

During China's Golden Age at the peak of the glorious Tang Dynasty, Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism flourished, virtue was held in the highest esteem, and society prospered.

It was a time of knowledge and beauty, of great artists, learned scientists, and noble leaders—truly a pure land here on earth.

But over the centuries, society's moral values declined, China became beset with internal turmoil and corruption, and gradually people no longer heeded the will of heaven. Eventually, many of the precious beliefs and traditions were lost.

In more modern times, the rise of European communism in China further eroded the ancient beliefs and customs, most notably during the Cultural Revolution.

Renaissance

Since 2004, however, New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV) has been reclaiming China's long-forgotten traditions by staging a series of performances around the world that are proving to be a big hit with audiences.

NTDTV's Chinese New Year Spectacular first went on the road in 2004, playing in New York City, Washington DC, Toronto, Taipei and Paris. Since then, the show has experienced phenomenal growth, with a total of 82 performances playing in 32 major cities around the world in 2007.

Next year, the Spectacular will play in 50 cities, expecting to reach a total live audience of half a million, more than double that of last year. In Canada, the show will play in the same six cites as in 2007, but the number of shows will be increased.

Joe Wang, president of NTDTV Canada, says the expansion is possible only because there are now two Divine Performing Arts dance troupes, the group that performs in the show. The two groups will perform simultaneously in different regions and continents.

Wang says that in the years NTDTV has been organizing the Spectacular, he has learned much about ancient Chinese culture and art that he didn't know, even though he grew up in China.

 "As a TV network we try to promote these traditions and basically let the Chinese population know that there is a great tradition that we have inherited from our ancestors, and also to build a bridge to western civilization. The show has largely succeeded in this regard."

China's 5,000-year culture lends itself to a repertoire that provides room for endless growth, adds Wang, and while showcasing the diversity of the ancient culture, the performances can also inspire peoples' "compassionate sides."

Chinese Classical Dance

The Spectacular is a "song and dance show with class," as an audience member once described it.

The show manages to strike a balance between the more refined traditional Chinese dance forms and the simple pleasure of rousing music, impressive large-scale dances with dozens of dancers moving in synch, and stunning costumes and backdrops.

Over 50 dancers, vocalists and instrumentalists transport the audience back to the golden age of China's culture, portraying ancient myths and legends through stunning ballet-like dances, big musical numbers, drumming acts, and operatic arias.

Because it strives to portray authentic Chinese culture, the Spectacular has become synonymous with Chinese classical dance and the traditions of China's classical performing arts.

Traditional Chinese dance is less precise and strict than its western counterpart, ballet. Originating in the early Zhou Dynasty, which dates back to 1122 BC, Chinese classical dance is believed to have drawn qualities from each successive dynasty in Chinese history, eventually developing into its own art form.

Ancient court dances were the original source, but over time folk and religious dances were incorporated. More recently, it has absorbed movements from qigong and martial arts. Tia Zhang, founder of the Lotus Flower Art Troupe based in Toronto, says the grace and subtlety of Chinese classical dance is deeply rooted in Chinese culture.

"Classical dance not only depicts events and characters, but can also fully convey the deep meaning underpinning the ancient stories," she says.

East Meets West

The Divine Performing Arts Orchestra, conducted by the accomplished Rutang Chen, will accompany the show in selected venues next year, as it did in 2007. Last year, it also played in NTDTV's Holiday Wonders shows at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

It is a 50-piece western-style orchestra complemented by a small number of Chinese instruments, including the pipa, erhu, Chinese flute and the zither. All of Chen's family members are musicians, and they all play in the orchestra: his wife and daughter play the flute, and his son the bassoon.

Chen, formerly of China's Central Philharmonic Society Orchestra, says western instruments are more suited to orchestral-style music than Chinese instruments because the volume of Chinese instruments is very low. It takes only three violins to produce the sound of ten erhu (a two-stringed instrument similar to a violin).

Trumpets, horns, and trombones all have a very loud sound, louder than anything from ancient China.

Western instruments are able to create "some very glorious musical depictions," and "abundant forms of inner meaning," Chen says. The combination provides the "traditional feeling" of the Chinese instruments which is complemented by the strength of the western instruments.

"In using this form, not only Chinese, but also westerners can enjoy it. What people hear is Chinese music, but at the same time it has the depth of the western music."

The Spectacular offers an entirely new experience for many westerners in that it incorporates the virtues the ancients lived by, such as compassion, truth and loyalty. The universal principle of Buddhism and Daoism—that good deeds will be rewarded and bad deeds punished—is a theme that is portrayed in some of the performances.

"The Spectacular benefits humanity because it promotes the values of humanity—trust, truthfulness, kindness—and it's those kinds of values that connect not only to Chinese audiences but to westerners as well," says Wang.

The Chinese New Year Spectacular will play at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa on January 13 and 14 at 7.30 pm; in Montreal at the Place des Arts – Theatre Maisonnveuve on January 15 at 7.30 pm, January 16 at 2.30 pm and 7.30 pm, and January 17 at 7.30 pm; in Toronto at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts on January 18 at 8 pm, and January 19 and 20 at 2.00 pm and 8 pm. The show will play in Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver in the spring.

Early-bird and group discounts are available for all shows. For more information and to book tickets online: http://www.shows.ntdtv.com