TORONTO—Divine Performing Arts of New York wowed a second Toronto audience with the last of two special shows tonight marking the Asian holiday of Mid-Autumn Festival.
"The performance was just wonderful, wonderful," said Jorge Barroilhet, a justice of the peace with the Ontario Superior Court who attended with his wife. "It was ... the message and the energy."
"Tonight, I felt a part of a new culture. We felt welcome and we felt warm. It was just amazing, and definitely we are coming back. "
A packed house came with high expectations for the show, held at the Toronto Centre for the Arts.
Toronto Spectacular
By Matthew Simon
Epoch Times Toronto Staff
Further reaction from audience members who attended Friday night's Mid-Autumn Spectacular in Toronto:
"It was wonderful," said David Oakes of Toronto. "It covered the history of China from antiquity. This is the oldest culture in the world. It enshrined a lot of things in the performance. And of course, Falun Gong and the values of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance were woven in very nicely."
Most of those interviewed kept mentioning the costumes. "Beautiful looking costumes… astounding," said Oakes. "This is very different from a Western performance."
"Beautiful costumes," said Manageh from Toronto. "And the dancers were very well coordinated." What did she like the most? "The hosts," she replied. "They were funny—and cute."
Angela, Barbara, and Robert from England were lucky enough to be spending their two-week holiday in Toronto when they found out about the Spectacular at the mall. "Fabulous," said Angela. "Never seen anything like it."
"I loved the singing. Where's the DVD?" asked Barbara.
None of them could decide what dance they liked the most. "Candlelight", a dance remembering those lives lost to persecution, and "Mongolian Dance" with its sparkling costumes were mentioned, when Angela gave the final verdict.
"I liked every one of them."
"I attended last year and it was wonderful," said Thomas Saras, president of the National Ethnic Press & Media Council of Canada, an organization that represents ethnic newspapers across the country.
This year's show did not disappoint him.
"It was wonderful. It was a coordination of colours, of music, and of movement—something unbelievable. The whole set was perfect and it is spectacular."
The Mid-Autumn Festival, also called the "Moon Festival," is a traditional Asian holiday when families come together, sometimes likened to the Western holiday of Thanksgiving.
The show is being put on by the Divine Performing Arts of New York. Earlier this year, the troupe put on more than 80 shows at many top venues in 30 cities worldwide as part of the Chinese New Year Spectacular hosted by New Tang Dynasty Television.
This special Mid-Autumn show is being held exclusively in Toronto.
The show promises the expression of "pure truth, pure compassion, and pure beauty" through authentic Chinese cultural dances, songs, and large-scale performances.
"China once was known as 'Shen Zhou,' or 'The land of the divine' because the Chinese people believe human life and culture come from the heavens," explained Xun Li, president of the Falun Dafa Association of Canada, the organization hosting the event.
Li said Divine Performing Arts was "reclaiming" the lost traditions of emphasizing virtue and honour in the arts through its authentic Chinese cultural performances.
"These performances transport audiences to a land of beauty and enchantment, leaving people uplifted and inspired," said Li.
Several features distinguish the Divine Performing Arts show, including an orchestra that combines Western and Chinese instruments, striking computer-generated back-drops with authentic traditional Chinese architecture and scenery, colourful costumes based on styles of various Chinese dynasties, and choreography and content that aims to express pure truth, compassion, and beauty.
Audience member Sean Zimmer summed it up:
"The dances, the songs, the instruments—I liked all of them, they were all awesome."
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