| While other young adults make their way through | | | | Confucianism and ballet, but they somehow |
| high school and college, Brian Nieh, Regina Dong, and | | | | beautifully balance this dialectic life of ancient Buddhist |
| Serena Liang spend 14 hours a day training, studying, | | | | principles and texting their friends on their cell phones. |
| and dancing with the Divine Performing Arts, a New | | | | Rediscovering the essence of traditional Chinese arts |
| York based troupe of classical dancers and musicians. | | | | requires more than just learning the old moves and |
| Many of the 100+ performers that make up Divine | | | | designing classic costumes, according to Nieh. "You |
| Performing Arts are young Chinese artists who have | | | | have live a more traditional life, spiritually and morally. |
| lived most, if not all, of their lives outside of China. | | | | It has to come from within." |
| But despite their western upbringings, they have | | | | "People from communist china have the best |
| come to be seen as the torchbearers of traditional | | | | techniques and are the most flexible, but their dances |
| Chinese culture. | | | | are deviated. It's not about who has the best abilities. |
| The genuine traditional arts of China have nearly | | | | We are trying to communicate with the audience. |
| perished under the last six decades of communist | | | | That's the energy of our group together. The |
| rule, and these performers see it as their mission, | | | | audience is looking at the whole group so we just try |
| having grown up in a free society, to bring the true | | | | to contribute to the group," states Nieh's fellow |
| spirit of their people back to life. | | | | dancer Serena Liang. |
| During the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and | | | | Their altruistic approach to life and dance comes |
| 1970s, in particular, China's 5,000-year-old culture was | | | | from what is known in Chinese culture as "Xiu Lian," |
| decimated. Buddhist and Daoist monasteries were | | | | or self-cultivation, an ancient concept describing the |
| destroyed, and traditional arts and music were | | | | process of refining one's character through Buddhism |
| shunned as relics of the feudal era. Even | | | | or Taoism. The performers at Divine Performing Arts |
| Confucianism, which had long been the moral | | | | say the only way to convey beauty and purity in |
| philosophy at the heart of Chinese culture, was | | | | their performances is to develop it from within |
| attacked and replaced with the glorification of | | | | themselves by stressing honesty, compassion, and |
| violence. | | | | leading virtuous lives. |
| "I didn't understand Chinese culture before, but if you | | | | "Everything comes from cultivation," says Regina |
| think about, who does? It is hard for anyone, even | | | | Dong about how she is able to convincingly depict |
| the people in China, to know anymore. So we are | | | | heavenly maidens and Bodhisattvas on stage. "We |
| digging it up and letting the world get to know it," | | | | cultivate to reach their level, learn about them, look |
| says 19-year-old Brian Nieh. | | | | at paintings and statues, and try to be in the same |
| "Having grown up in America, being born here, my | | | | state as how we imagine them to be. |
| dad would try to teach me about Chinese culture and | | | | "We have to dance with a pure heart in order to |
| read me classical stories," says Nieh. "But once I | | | | accurately portray a Buddha or Bodhisattva," she |
| joined Divine Performing Arts I realized I didn't know | | | | says. |
| anything. In preparing for the different dances we | | | | Serena says she quietly went into the audience once |
| learn about Chinese culture, and then the audience | | | | to watch a part of the show that didn't require her |
| learns through us." | | | | to be on stage. "The synchronization of the dancers |
| At first glance, it seems strange that American-born | | | | with each other, with their heart and body, they |
| teenagers could even properly perform traditional | | | | cooperate, you can see their hearts are not for |
| Chinese dances, much less be at the forefront of a | | | | themselves. It was a very pure moment, just |
| movement to revitalize a profound, ancient culture. | | | | watching my friends performing so perfectly. |
| They grew up on MTV and skateboarding, not | | | | |