Helena Granger started dancing when she was three years old. Her passion became her career and her career became a way to nurture another generation of dancers.
A professional dancer, Granger has achieved the highest credentials in several styles of dance and has trained other dancers to pass medal and professional examinations.
For almost a decade, she served either as an executive board member or chair for the Ontario branch of the Canadian Dance Teachers Association.
In September, Granger attended Divine Performing Arts' Mid-Autumn Spectacular in Toronto. She's looking forward to Divine's return this month when it will stage five Chinese New Year Spectacular shows at Toronto's Sony Centre from Dec. 18-20.
"The show itself is overwhelming," she says. "It's a phenomenal experience. It's a fantastic, beautifully-orchestrated show."
Granger described the Spectacular as "acrobat dancing" and said that from her experience, to be able to perform "even half way as good as that" takes tremendous dedication. She said watching the show was a learning experience, even for an advanced professional such as herself.
But Granger also recognized that the Spectacular was able to make the impact it did not only because of its highly-trained dancers but because of what supported them — 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture.
Granger said that the western world knows very little about what Chinese culture actually is.
"We have not been given enough introduction to your culture, to your way of life. Your people are very quiet, exceptionally polite. And from what we know, extremely smart."
Granger added that the Spectacular incorporates China's rich history and culture, including its "arts, artifacts, historical monuments and historical structures."
She believes children of Chinese descent born outside of China likely share westerners' unfamiliarity with traditional Chinese culture.
"I would highly recommend Chinese children who were born here [go see the show] because I doubt very much they appreciate where exactly they came from. It would be a great idea for them to attend, go and watch what they could actually be if they knew more about where they came from and who they are."
"What they do on that stage is amazing."
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