TORONTO—Ms. Jervis emerged from the Divine Performing Arts 2009 World Tour performance in Toronto Sunday afternoon saying she couldn’t find a single flaw in the performance.
There was one performance in the first half that struck her most deeply: “Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution.”
“I could see the emotion on everybody’s face. It was very, very good,” said Ms. Jervis, who is the director of a trust owned by one of Canada’s largest banks.
“The whole story line was well done. You could actually feel the emotion and actually see it on everyone’s faces—I just liked the story.”
The dance tells the story of a young father, who like millions of his countrymen in China, is persecuted for practicing the traditional spiritual discipline of Falun Dafa.
The story, however, is ultimately one of hope, based on the traditional belief that good people are always rewarded, even if not in this lifetime.
Ms. Jervis had high praise for every aspect of the show, including the music.
“Everything is very well done.”
She was particularly impressed by the costumes, calling them “brilliant.”
“The colour, the attention to detail, I was even paying attention to the make up, the hair, it’s absolutely fabulous,” said Ms. Jervis.
“Everything is just so fine, so intricate. It’s very good.”
Ms. Jervis said she was happy to see the richness of the culture depicted in the show.
“What’s most impressive is that there is so much culture, and keeping it alive and bringing it to the people…that’s what I find very good.”
She particularly liked the “Monkey King Triumphs,” an adaptation of a scene from China’s classic 16th century novel Journey to the West.
The protagonist of the tale, 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.
‘That was interesting - it was kind intriguing,” said Ms. Jervis who was happy to be able to learn more about Chinese culture.
”I work with a lot of Chinese so it’s a great opportunity—and that’s why I’m here, through someone at work —so it’s just a great opportunity to see more of what the culture is about.”
Divine Performing Arts will take to the stage twice more in Toronto on Tuesday and Wednesday evening before moving on to New York City’s famed Radio City Music Hall. Divine Performing Arts has two other dance company’s currently touring in the United States.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Divine Performing Arts International Tour.
For more information, please see divineperformingarts.org
