Traveling troupe comes to Indiana

In celebration of the Chinese New Year, the Divine Performing Arts, a New York-based authentic Chinese dance and music company, will perform at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Murat Theatre in Indianapolis.

The Indiana Falun Dafa Association is responsible for bringing Divine Performing Arts to Indiana for the first time.

Lixuan Tackett, a volunteer for the Indiana Falun Dafa Association, said the audience will be brought to tears.

“This kind of entertainment isn’t just great, it’s enlightening,” Tackett said. “It heals.”
Divine Performing Arts combines choreographed Chinese folk dance and acrobatics with a more than 40-piece live orchestra, which plays a fusion of Chinese and Western music.  

The entire performance is set to a digital backdrop custom-animated to match the story lines, lighting and rhythm of the performers.

Tackett said the costumes are handmade and were heavily researched before their construction to ensure of authenticity. The costumes were also designed to enhance the visual experience of the dances.

“The dancing is a very distinctive, comprehensive system of training that used to be performed in royal courts for the Chinese emperors,” Tackett said.

Tackett said ever since China’s Cultural Revolution more than 40 years ago, the country’s 5,000-year-old culture has been severely damaged at the hands of the Communist regime.  

“DPA is trying to revive the Chinese traditional sense of culture, that essence that has been recently lost,” Tackett said. “When people watched the Beijing Olympics, they saw the formality and technique, but the essence was gone. The respect for heaven and earth, humanity, peace and harmony in dancing has all been lost since the religion was taken away.”

The performance will include dances portraying ancient folk tales from Chinese history, and all the originally composed songs will be sung bilingually in Chinese and English.

Divine Performing Arts’ name comes from China’s ancient nickname, the “Land of the Divine.”

“The Chinese consider their rich culture bestowed by Heaven,” Tackett said. “DPA is trying to revive that divine culture through their performances.”

Unlike the Western New Year, the Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is based on the lunar calendar and falls on a different day each year. This year, Chinese New Year’s Eve fell on Jan. 26. The Chinese New Year festivities last for 15 days and will end Feb. 10.  

“It’s just like Christmas in America,” said Yan Jin, the president of IU’s Chinese Student and Scholar Association. “It’s the most important holiday of the year. There’s a big family reunion and everyone gets together and has a feast.”

Depending upon the region in China, there are different traditions for celebrating the new year, but the holiday represents a new start for most Chinese people.

In preparation, the entire family gets together to clean the house and cook the feast in advance for Chinese New Year’s Eve, Jin said.

“Of course I miss it,” said Yan Zhuang, a graduate student at IU. “My entire family is together, doing the housework and shopping. There aren’t any concerns about work or anything, so it’s a really special time.”  

Red fireworks are another big tradition for the Spring Festival. Although they have been banned in the past because they caused injuries, China recently allowed their use again in celebrations.

“Well, anything red is typical right now,” Zhuang said. “It represents happiness, so it’s everywhere – decorations, coats, shirts, sweaters, fireworks – it’s on everything.”

Most Chinese people on the mainland watch the Spring Festival Gala broadcast live on China Central Television. Jin said it is the largest TV performance in China, and everyone watches it together as a family in the hours before midnight.

Divine Performing Arts will bring the Chinese New Year celebration to those who can’t experience it in China this year.

“This is the best opportunity for Westerners to learn about ancient Chinese history and culture,” Tackett said. “You just have to be there to feel it. When the curtains go up, people will be amazed at the beautiful colors, the energy, the backdrop, the handmade costumes and the movements. Hearts will be pounding.”