Jean-Jacques Couilleid and his wife were delighted by the Divine Performing Arts Chinese New Year Spectacular show that they attended at Place des Arts on Thursday evening, the last performance of the Spectacular's stop in Montreal before it headed to Toronto.
"I loved it. It has spiritual meaning," said Mr. Couilleid.
"I am surprised that in a public show, it talks about spirituality. We used to do that many years ago in Montreal, but not anymore. I like it very much!" he added.
"It's like a dream come true. It's wonderful," said Mrs. Couilleid
The Divine Performing Arts company says that in its productions it strives to revive the authentic traditional arts and culture of China in which moral values and spiritual pursuits are highly emphasized.
Beyond aesthetic beauty, themes that run through many of the shows' dance and musical pieces include courage, loyalty, honesty, filial piety, compassion, faith, and search for spiritual truth.
Much of these mindsets have either been destroyed or suppressed since the atheistic communist regime took power in 1949, organizers of the Spectacular say.
Mr. Couilleid was a principal and teacher at a primary school near Montreal prior to his retirement after 16 years of teaching.
"The ideas behind the [performances] are very educational," he said. He added that it comes through in the Spectacular that "Chinese people are very proud of their culture and traditions, and this is what we could learn from them."
He commended the work of the accomplished cast of dancers, singers, and musicians.
The dances, singing, colour, and techniques—everything together—were "wonderful" and "beautiful," Mr. Couilleid said. "I am a social dancer. I like ballet, music, and everything, so I know."
He enjoyed the dance performances the most, describing them as "a mixing of ballet and acrobatics" and something that was "new for me."
In bringing to life the myths and legends of ancient China, along with stories from contemporary times, the creators of the Spectacular are skilled and creative in the use of state-of-the art technology. One example is the dramatic dynamic scenery and multilingual lyrics projected on the background screen.
"I appreciated the French text on the screen. It is very poetic" said Mr. Couilleid.
"I will definitely come back next year," he said.
After Thursday's performance in Montreal, the Spectacular travelled to Toronto and will play five shows there from January 18 to 20 before leaving Canada to continue its world tour of more than 60 cities. It returns to Canada in the spring and will play in Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton from April 27 to May 7.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Divine Performing Arts shows that will perform in over 60 cities worldwide in 2008. To find a show near you, please visit www.bestchineseshows.com.
Feeds