NEW YORK -Carol Jentile, a retired medical worker, traveled from Delaware to New York to take in the Chinese New Year Splendor on Saturday afternoon.
Ms. Jentile said she had previously held a "disillusioned image" of China.
"It is so wonderful to see the people who are presenting ... are willing to sacrifice ... in order to project their culture to society in a way we do not normally get from China," she said. "I think they tried very hard in this performance to change [people's perceptions of China].
She described the show as "a great look into a China" that Americans do not generally get to see, and a "great cultural exchange of ideas."
"For me to see the show ... it was a wonderful experience to see history -to see the drama, the energy, the choreography, the colors, and the costumes," she said.
Ms. Jentile said she would "absolutely recommend" the Splendor to her friends.
"It was really a spectacular performance, and I am so glad to have had the opportunity to see those drummers. It was beautiful.
"And I cannot even begin to imagine the amount of work that is involved in this. I can imagine the number of hours of planning and practicing," she said.
"So it was marvelous, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves very, very much," she said.
Sue Ann Jones, a retired bank executive from New Jersey, said she enjoyed the Splendor "very, very much" also.
"I enjoyed the dancing, the singing, the interpretation of dance -different from [the way] we see it in this country -and also the culture and the history," she said. Ms. Jones said she would come back to see the show next year.
The Chinese New Year Splendor continues in New York through Saturday, Feb. 9. For other shows in the Divine Performing Arts world tour, please visit: http://www.DivinePerformingArts.org/ .