Mr. Longfield, president of the chamber of commerce for a local city was among those grateful to have seen the show.
“The music is beautiful,” Mr. Longfield said. “The sound, you can tell the sound is very authentic to China.”
The Divine Performing Arts travels with a complete orchestra, perhaps the only one in the world with both Western and Chinese traditional instruments as part of its standard repertoire.
Divine Performing Arts is also known for its digitally-projected backgrounds that depict ancient settings and heavenly scenes in color and detail that compliment the stories told by the performers.
“Its wonderful, the actions and colour. Animation and background really add something to the show as well,” he added.
“We could recognize a lot of the colours of the emperor and different parts of the history—very entertaining.”
DPA highlights China’s 5,000-year history through classical Chinese dance, vocal performances, and its original score. The dance company takes inspiration from that history and depicts traditional values and contemporary struggles in the Middle Kingdom.
Longfield said the drums were the most notable element in the show for him. “The drums [are] something you see throughout the culture, and the choreography with the drums was exceptional.”
This year’s tour includes two drum numbers, the opening act, “The Five Millennia Begin,” and “Dragon Springs Drummers.”
“Five Millennia” begins with divine beings assembling in heaven to prepare for their descent to earth, where they will impart the gift of culture. In “Dragon Springs” the buoyant, fun-loving spirit of China’s indigenous folk culture comes to life with an irresistible beat.
“Oh, the orchestra’s great,” Mr. Longfield said. “Huge orchestra too. Really good, absolutely.”
Divine Performing Arts will take to the stage two more times in Kitchener-Waterloo before moving on to Toronto for a six-day run at John Bassett Theatre.
The Epoch Times is the proud sponsor of the Divine Performing Arts 2009 World Tour.
Please see DivinePerformingArts.org for more information.
