Violinist Enjoyed 'Seamless, Innovative' Show with 'Good Messages'

 Conrad Chow, a violinist and violin teacher, attended the Divine Performing Arts Chinese New Year Spectacular at Toronto's Sony Centre this weekend and enjoyed the show from many different perspectives.

"It's amazing. It's very, very beautiful," he said.

He especially enjoyed the dancing, and as a musician he said he liked the music and appreciated how well it matched the dance choreography.

"Also, as a Chinese person, although I was born in Toronto, [the Spectacular ] made me very proud to see the cultural part and the historical aspect of the Chinese dancing," said Chow.

Chow was also impressed by the dramatic high-tech backdrop projection of dynamic scenery synchronized to the music and dance performances.

Referring to one of the acts which depicted divine beings descending from heaven, Chow said, "It was very interesting how, as soon as they came down, the dancers came up, so it was very seamless. It was done very well."

The creators of the vivid backdrops and animations spent years researching and consulting history and experts to ensure their designs are true to authentic traditional Chinese architecture and scenery.

"They really used [the backdrop screen] in every act… It's very, very innovative," he said. "Gorgeous," he added.

The Divine Performing Arts Company, the presenter of the show, says it strives to portray the moral and spiritual consciousness of the people of ancient China. In fact, the Chinese culture is thought to be inspired by the divine and devoted to spiritual quest.

Chow took notice of that as well. "Throughout the entire evening, they had a lot of good messages," he said.

Performances throughout the show tell of uplifting and inspiring stories of courage, compassion, belief, as well as peaceful resistance to oppression.

"They showed that spirituality is very important, and in our modern society a lot of times we forget about that. As a musician I liked seeing cultural aspects like art and dance being used to show as a society we have to be caring and resist oppression."

"I thought those were very nice messages," said Chow.

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.