TORONTO—When Charles Eickmeier's step-son read about the Divine Performing Arts Chinese New Year Spectacular in the newspaper, he decided that it would make a nice Christmas gift to buy tickets for his entire family to see the show.
Eickmeier, a truck driver, couldn't have been happier with his step-son's idea.
"I totally enjoyed the show," he said. "Most of the time when you see Chinese [shows], it is mostly the acrobatics and things like that, but this is much different from that. It is more of the history of dancing and the culture itself." Eickmeier's family were among many others at the Sony Centre For the Performing Arts (formerly the Hummingbird Centre) who took in the Spectacular's opening night in Toronto on Friday.
"The choreography and acrobatics and things like that were very good," he said."It is very nice, the dancing and the costumes."
Eickmeier added that he appreciated the job the hosts did in introducing each dance.
Most of the show's dances rely heavily on detailed research into China's rich 5,000 year history. To help the audience understand that history and what the dance represents, the show's hosts provide a brief explanation before each act in both English and Chinese.
"The explanations are extremely informative," said Eickmeier.
Pulga Muchochoma from Mozambique, who also attended the Spectacular, enjoyed the large-scale dance numbers as she is studying modern dance at the moment.
"There are a lot of differences between some of the dances that I'm watching tonight and the dances that I do, but its really interesting to see some ballet style and Chinese dances together, it is something really interesting to me as a dancer."
After Toronto, the Spectacular will continue on its world tour, playing in the U.S., Japan, Korea, Paris, Singapore and Australia before heading to Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton in the spring.
Performed since 2004 by the New York-based Divine Performing Arts Company, the Spectacular will stage 220 shows in over 60 cities, reaching a total live audience of about 650,000. The world-class tour will span four continents—Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America.
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.
Feeds