Acclaimed arranger and composer Mr. Rick Wilkins (NTDTV)

TORONTO--An acclaimed arranger and composer who has worked with artists from Celine Dion and Michael Jackson to Anne Murray and Burton Cummings, was deeply moved by Divine Performing Arts 2009 World Tour after attending the show on Friday.

"I thought it was a spectacular show, it was a great show. It's great dancing, great costumes, music - I was especially interested in because I'm a musician. It's lovely to see how they combine the traditional Western instruments with the Chinese instruments," said Mr. Rick Wilkins, one of Canada's most acclaimed music arrangers and a recipient of the Order of Canada, Canada's highest civilian honor.

"I had my ear open for that, trying to figure out what they were playing. It was nice when they introduced the different instruments and they played a little bit. I could see them a little better. Then they had the one solo of the erhu, I really enjoyed that."

The erhu is China's two-stringed violin, an instrument with a hauntingly beautiful sound and surprising range.

"I think [the music] really captures the spirit of the dances and the spirit of what they are trying to portray. I see there were different composers who have written all pieces for this, and I think they really captured what they were trying to convey very well into music."

Divine Performing Arts takes its inspiration from 5,000 years of Chinese civilization. Many of its dances are based on the country's amazing wealth of myths, legends and historical stories.

An example from this year's program is "The Monkey King Triumphs," a dance based on a scene from the famous 16th-century classic novel "Journey to the West," an epic novel about a monk's pilgrimage to India to retrieve sacred Buddhist scriptures.

"At times it's really peaceful, especially in the second half they had the spring number, and in the opening half they had the number about the sleeves. It was very peaceful I thought. And at times when it had to be energetic - when they had the rockslide and the mountains - I think the composers did a great job and the orchestra did a great job of portraying that.

That spring number Mr. Wilkins referred to is called "Welcoming Spring." Quick footwork, crisp movements, and stunning bursts of color form the basis of these women's fan dance. "Flowing Sleeves" features female dancers draped in long, flowing sleeves. The tremendous feminine grace of this ensemble is reminiscent of the women of the celebrated Tang imperial court (618-907CE). The rockslide appears in a dance called "Monk Ji Gong Abducts the Bride." One of the most beloved figures from Chinese history, monk Ji Gong has long been remembered for his unorthodox, and seemingly crazy manner of doing good works. In this tale, he saunters into a village wedding scene to warn its inhabitants of an impending rockslide.

Like many who attend the show, Mr. Wilkins was taken aback by the show's colorful costumes.

"The costumes were quite striking and the colors, very vibrant. The dancing is very energetic too. I thought the whole thing was very harmonious. The choreography and the music and the sets, it all seemed to come together for me. This is the first time we'd seen it. So we were quite impressed with it all."

Mr. Wilkins has been a professional musician since he was 20 years old.

"I've been fortunate to make a living in music mostly writing arrangements, by doing some film scores and playing saxophone in bands and things like that. But it's been mainly in popular Western music, so that's kind of been my upbringing. So when I have a chance to really hear some other cultures in music it's always interesting for me to kind of bend my ear a little bit, just to see how it compares."

Mr. Wilkins said the music in the show was inspiring and could come up in his future compositions.

Mr. Wilkins has composed for CBC, CTV, CBS and a number of televised variety shows and specials. He has also written arrangements for many highly famed musicians and bands and is an accomplished musician in his own right.

Divine Performing Arts will take to the stage five more times in Toronto before moving on to Montreal and then New York's famed Radio City Music Hall, perhaps the most highly regarded performing venue in the world.