KITCHENER-WATERLOO, Canada—Kitchener entrepreneur and benefactor, Mr. Garner, was full of praise for Divine Performing Arts’ celebration of traditional Chinese culture at a packed Circle in the Square Theatre on Tuesday night.
“It was a visual treat for the heart and soul—a great visual interpretation of history and a great lesson,” he said during intermission.
“The overall skill level of the performers and their commitment to their art is just unbelievable; it is breathtaking…I thank the entire Divine Performing Arts team for what they have accomplished and especially for bringing it to the city of Kitchener. It is very special, very special.”
Mr. Garner, a respected community leader, has worked in a variety of managerial positions with banks and major corporations. As part of his current work with the business association, he secured $100,000 in funding to support a major community art event.
Mr. Garner said it was impossible to name his favourite part of the show as each part—the music, the dance, the costumes—contributed to the overall presentation. He added it was the blend of those elements, and the show’s effort to revive traditional Chinese culture and values, that really moved his heart.
“The interpretation from past history to current is a real message that everybody should embrace,” he said.
“You realize that Chinese culture has been around probably the longest of all cultures. When you look around and realize what we take for granted today and the roots of that go all the way back.”
One example of that are the tumbling techniques of Chinese classical dance, techniques which were later taken and incorporated into gymnastics, leading some people to think the flips and leaps in Chinese dance are taken from acrobatics, when if fact, it is actually the other way around.
The Divine Performing Arts aims to revive traditional Chinese performing arts. When the authoritarian communist regime currently ruling China came to power 50 years ago it began to systematically destroy traditional beliefs and art forms. Songs were rewritten to have propaganda lyrics and performing arts became one of the regime’s primary ways to change Chinese people’s beliefs and values. Teachings from Confucianism to Buddhism became outlawed and virtues like respect for one’s parents were replaced with loyalty to the communist party.
“Nobody should lose their culture right, you always have to know where you came from, so maintaining culture, maintaining venues in which various historical dances can be presented to people, these things should be maintained. People should have access to these.”
He added that the show was a great way to educate people about China’s past and present, about its traditional culture, and the things happening there now.
“Culture comes from the heart. People need to exist and people need to live their lives the way they want to live their lives, in peace and harmony,” he said.
Two of the dances in this year’s world tour depict scenes unfolding in China today. In one dance, a father 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.
Mr. Garner added that suppressing people’s freedoms was not good for any culture.
“I think more people need to speak out more and learn more about what is happening in various parts of the world and then try and do their part. We are sort of free here in Canada. We are allowed to have our view points and express out view points so when you see that sort of thing, it's tough to know that a lot of people don’t have options.”
He said Divine Performing Arts was doing its part to raise those issues which was good for a diverse city like Kitchener.
Mr. Garner, who currently heads a business association in one of Canada’s larger cities, bought 20 of the best tickets in the theatre and gave them out at a Christmas party.
“People need to understand all cultures and that is the reason we wanted to participate in this,” he said, explaining his decision to buy and give away thousands of dollars worth of tickets.
“They will come and see this and then they will go and tell people tomorrow, right now it is two shows in Kitchener, next year it will be three, then four, then five…. And then they will all be sold out!”
He continued to praise Divine Performing Arts ability to dissolve the separations between people of different cultures.
“It breaks down the barriers of cultural differences that might be perceived and then when you see them and share time with people then you realize ‘Hey they are just like you and I, they have the same beliefs. They want a place to live, they want to bring up a family, they want to make money to support their families, they want the best for their families. It is no different from my culture here right?’ This will make a better world for all of us.”
Mr. Garner also enjoyed the Divine Performing Arts orchestra, which combines the rich, full sound of a Western symphony orchestra with traditional Chinese melodies and Chinese instruments, enabling its compositions to at once mine the potential of Western orchestral music, and yet be rich in Chinese qualities.
“I loved the music … listening to ancient music is healing for the soul and that’s why I say for me it is a visual treat for the heart and soul. The whole experience is very healing and I feel very calm. The issues that I dealt with today are gone and I am just enjoying the visual display.”
Among the legends presented in this years tour is a scene from one of China’s most popular classic novels, Journey to the West, which tells the tale of a monk journeying west to find scriptures. Along the way, he is protected by the Monkey King, a supernatural being.
“I liked the ancient story of the Monkey King and those types of ideals and beliefs that there is somebody looking out for you during your travels. I think it is great and it is that sort of history that ties everything together.”
“The costumes are great, the women are gorgeous, the men are great, the music, they’re all great dancers — it’s the whole package. And we will support it more next year,” he promised.
Following its last show in Kitchener-Waterloo on Wednesday evening, Divine Performing Arts will move on to Toronto for a six-day run at John Bassett Theatre.
The full-house that saw the show Tuesday gave the performance a standing ovation.
“It's a true reward for everybody who gets to see the show, absolutely it's something else.”
“To me, it’s like the gift of life.”
Please see DivinePerformingArts.org for more information.