Captivated audience members at a Divine Performing Arts show in Ottawa on the weekend, a few of the more than 12,000 who took in the performances at sold-out venues in Ottawa and Kitchener, Ont. this week. The Divine Performing Arts 2009 World Tour begins (Evan Ning/The Epoch Times)

(Clearwisdom.net) OTTAWA/WATERLOO--The world's premier Chinese dance and music company stirred audiences after beginning the Canadian leg of its 2009 world tour this week.

Divine Performing Arts New York Company, one of three companies of the New York-based arts group, played to sold-out venues in Ottawa and Kitchener-Waterloo.

Set to begin a week-long run at Toronto's John Bassett Theatre on January 8, the show is attracting growing crowds as word gets out about the unique performing arts company in its third year on tour.

"It's wonderful," said Stephen Woodworth, member of parliament for Kitchener Centre, who saw the show Wednesday night.

"What's most impressive to me about the Divine Performing Arts is how it works on so many levels. On the outside you could say that it's just great entertainment for the whole family--story telling, colourful pageantry, Chinese dance and music. 


"If you just go a little deeper, you could see the craftsmanship, the artistry, the discipline, the wonderful detail that's put into the costumes, and the set design, and the dance composition. And then if you go just a little bit deeper than that, you see that it's really all about universal values, the ideas of truth, compassion, and tolerance," Woodworth said. "These are values that are universal to everyone."

Ms. McKenna, a Celtic singer who saw the show in Ottawa, agreed.

"My heart was open and I started to cry," she said of the opening act. "The very beginning of the performance touched my heart so much.... I'm just blown away by this performance, I'm just blown away. I'm sort of in awe ... I'm awestruck."

She added, "From the heart of an artist myself, I'm really impressed--beyond words. There are no words to describe how amazing this is."

Mr. Morrison, dean of the Faculty of Music at a large university, did have words to describe his experience after attending a performance Tuesday night.

"I think one of the things that struck me was the rhythm, and the music of course and the melody and harmony. But the rhythm and the dance are just very lively. I thought it was a brilliant show."

He was especially struck by the sound of the erhu, a two-stringed instrument known for its stirring, soulful tones.

"I love that instrument. I think that sound is one of the most gripping, haunting sounds of anything that I have heard. I mean it's gorgeous! It's almost an extension of a human-like sound even more so than a violin or a traditional stringed instrument, which can be very vocal-like. The erhu is just an amazing sound, it's beautiful."

He added that the type of scales that are used for the erhu have, "a sort of very deep emotional quality to them. There is a certain sense in which one feels quite connected to that music in a fairly deep way."

"It's all there, it's very exuberant it's very passionate, emotional-the music, the dance and the drama, so it's a real package," he summarized.