Sentinel (New Jersey): Ancient Chinese culture presented in holiday show (Photos)

The "Holiday Wonders" show includes more than a hundred performers who portray many aspects of ancient Chinese culture.

This holiday season, two local residents are bringing new wonders to their neighbors - "Holiday Wonders," that is.

"Holiday Wonders" is a variety show of traditional Chinese dance, music and singing that will kick off its East Coast tour from New York City on Dec.18.

The show will have a nine-day run at Beacon Theatre, 72nd Street and Broadway, just before and after Christmas, before moving on to Atlantic City and several other East Coast locales.

Wendy Ma, of East Brunswick, and May Chen, of Old Bridge, are volunteering to help the television station that puts on the show, NTDTV, promote it among area residents.

"I tell people, 'This show is so wonderful because they have a live orchestra, and more than 100 extras, and this show is different from other shows and presents the audience with goodness,'" Chen said of her promotion efforts. "It is really different from other shows."

"Holiday Wonders," hosted bilingually in Chinese and English, draws on the deep, inner expression shown through Chinese classical dance. It also uses a combination of background scenery, costumes and choreography to express the ancient Chinese virtues of truthfulness, compassion and pure beauty.

Ma, who does some of her promotion efforts by handing out fliers, said she often runs into people who attended last year and remember it fondly.

"They said it was a very beautiful performance; some said it was very educational," said Ma, adding that she looks forward to seeing it again herself. "My impression from watching this show is that it's so beautiful and bright, and I feel it is so pure, and I feel inner peace [from watching it]."

The production showcases an array of costumes, dancers and musicians depicting ancient Chinese culture and history, with a modern twist in some acts. Performances include original dance numbers, solo vocalists and musicians, and dramatic depictions of stories through dance and music. The main musical accompaniment, the Divine Performing Arts Orchestra, employs a unique blend of Chinese and western musical instruments to play original scores.

Ma said she feels good about promoting the show to families, since her experience with her own family attending the show has been so positive.

"It's a very good family event, good for everybody from little kids all the way to grandma, grandpa," Ma said. "My daughter, who is 4, didn't get tired at all, even though the show is over two hours long. She laughed and liked it a lot. It made my parents [who are from China] remember the stories they heard when they were very little, so I think it was a very warm feeling for them."

"Holiday Wonders," now in its fifth year, will run at the Beacon Theatre from Dec. 18-26 before traveling to Atlantic City, Philadelphia and Atlanta, among other stops. Tickets, at $48, $68, $98, $128 and $200, are available at www.holidaywonders.net, by calling [phone] or by calling Ticketmaster at [phone].