TORONTO—Chinese and Western audiences alike gathered to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival Thursday night at the Toronto Centre for the Arts.
True to their motto of promoting "pure truthfulness, pure compassion and pure beauty," the New York Divine Performing Arts troupe offered Toronto audiences a rare glimpse at China's ancient culture in a lavish spectacle of music and dance.
Keith Labastide who saw the show with his wife Gloria gave a raving review.
"It was fantastic, I was absolutely stirred," said Labastide. "I was quite surprised that I was so stirred. I'll be back again next year."
Through perfectly choreographed performances of Chinese classical dance, graceful and harmonious melodies and a live orchestra of Western and Chinese instruments, the New York based Divine Performing Arts troupe inspired and uplifted.
Focused on the inner strength and moral character of the performer, Chinese classical dance and music are rooted in the traditions of what is said to have been ancient China's divinely inspired culture. In ancient China, professions emphasized the cultivation of one's heart, mind and body.
The expressive nature of Chinese classical dance provides the perfect medium for the portrayal of every type of character and historical period, thus allowing the dancers to present a variety of Chinese legends and classical tales with great ease, while mastering the precision and unity required by this sophisticated dance form. "It was wonderful, the costumes, the dancing [were] marvelous," said Sheila Cherry, who took in the Spectacular with Ellen Lowcock.
Another highlight of the show were the singers, who are some of the leading voices in Chinese operatic music today. They conveyed a sense of purity, joy and of hope for the future and the potential of humankind to renew and perfect itself.
The New York Divine Performing Arts returns for a second performance of the Mid-Autumn Spectacular this Friday at 8 p.m. at the Toronto Centre for the Arts.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of China's most ancient and cherished holidays. The Divine Performing Arts Troupe is famous for its Chinese New Year Spectacular, which dazzled over 200,000 live audience members in 30 cities on four continents. The Mid-Autumn Spectacular expresses Chinese classical dance and showcases the true traditional Chinese culture without any Communist Party Culture. Through background scenery, costumes, and choreography, the Spectacular expresses pure truthfulness, pure compassion, and pure beauty. China's history comes to life in this gorgeous performance that is entertaining, inspiring, and uplifting. The content of all programs is presented in both Chinese and English language.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Mid-Autumn Spectacular being held in Toronto Sept. 27 and 28.
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