(Clearwisdom.net) Although it was very cold, the theater was filled for the seventh Divine Performing Arts (DPA) show in Toronto on January 14, 2008. The audience was treated to a spectacular display of traditional Chinese culture.

Ms. Bristow, an author of educational materials, has seen DPA shows three times before. She produced a series of seven videos and seven books that are used across Canada and the United States in schools and universities. She has also collaborated with her husband, film producer Leif Bristow, in writing a play.

Ms. Bristow

Ms. Bristow said that one of the reasons she came was her "curiosity about the Chinese culture. The whole history of China is really quite interesting and fascinating, and I like that. I like learning about different people and just different ways of looking at life and looking at the world, and I was curious about that."

She described the movements in Chinese classical dance, the centerpiece of the show, as "soft" and "gentle." "I think it's peaceful and I like the feeling of calm. I always walk away feeling like I'm walking on clouds because it's got that feel to it. You talk about compassion and you certainly get that message when you're watching the show."

The show portrays myths and legends from ancient China, contrasting with stories from modern-day China where spiritual belief is repressed. Two such pieces depict the persecution of Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline with roots in Chinese culture.

"It's interesting that the two pieces you have about the persecution are done very well, because I think it's important to get those kinds of messages out--for any group that suffers from oppression or who are not being accepted and are being persecuted for their beliefs. I think it's interesting to expose those things and I think it's interesting for people from other cultures to see that and to understand what it means," said Ms. Bristow, "The show brings that information to you in a very sincere fashion."

Dr. Kizoff came to the show with his wife

Dr. Kizoff said he and his wife enjoyed the encouraging show. "We knew very little about Chinese culture," he said. "This show demonstrated the rich culture to us. The messages in the stories are profound, and the stories were touching."

What moved him most was the anti-persecution piece. Dr. Kizoff and his wife both agreed that the story of Falun Gong practitioners was sad and yet also gave people hope.

"Any persecution is horrible," he said, "The Falun Gong group looks peaceful. People should expose the persecution and try to stop it."

Ms. Kizoff said that the show reminded people of the importance of belief. She said that the show also brought peacefulness and hope to audience: "It made us warm on such a cold night."