'The diversity and the variety of this show is tremendous,' said Mr. Evans. (The Epoch Times)

MONTREAL--"The diversity and the variety of this show is tremendous," enthused Mr. Evans, the CEO of a large company, after watching the Divine Performing Arts 2009 World Tour at the sold out show in Place de Arts in Montreal.

Mr. Evans, who heads one of the largest companies in Canada and a global giant in the resource sector, said that he had been to China many times. "I think it's awfully easy for us in North America, if we've not been there, to think of China as [all the same]... Everybody dresses the same, everybody looks the same, has the same beliefs. And it's really extremely different."

"This reinforces that I think, because you just see the variety. And this is only a very small selection."

Mr. Evans said that among his favourite dances was the Yi Ethnic Dance.

"They're very colorful and wonderful," he said.

The Yi, one of southern China's largest ethnic groups, are known for their passion about dance and music, and they seize every occasion to dance out their feelings in everyday life. The female dancers in this piece swirled in lovely, silken, rainbow-like skirts as part of their expression of joy.

"I think, probably the Monkey King, [is what] I liked the best. And maybe because it was a combination of both the men and the women... dancing. And it also had the dance, the music but some comedy in it and a story.

The Monkey King Triumphs, is a dance based on a scene in "Journey to the West," one of China's most beloved classic novels written close to 500 years ago. The protagonist, a Buddhist monk, is traveling to India in search of scriptures, joined by an ogre, a pig, and the miraculous Monkey King. Along the way they are set upon by a demon that assumes the guise of a temptress. The storyline reflects the melding of the magical, moral, and mundane so common in the traditional Chinese novel.

Mr. Evans said he also enjoyed the Tibetan dance.

Undaunted by snow and the elements, the men in Dance of the Snow Capped Mountain vigorously celebrate the joys of the Tibetan Steppes as they spin, stomp, and step in an extravagant gesture of welcoming. In Dragon Springs Folk Drummers dancers perform aerial moves and bring to life the buoyant, fun-loving spirit of China's indigenous folk culture as they dance with octagonal drums.

Divine Performing Arts performances showcase China's rich 5,000 year history, through classical Chinese dance and vocal performances.

"Clearly there is also, I think, an ideal, a message. It's in a way portraying freedom and certainly in the one performance about the persecution it was a very clear message about the remaining concerns in China about freedoms and rights and religious beliefs.

One of the show's dances Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution, tells the tale of a father who is persecuted for practicing Falun Gong. The fantastic scenes that ultimately unfold in this piece present a message of hope and bespeak of a longstanding Chinese belief that good people are ultimately rewarded, even if not in this lifetime.

Source http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/content/view/10485/