Jan 18, 2009
MONTREAL--Mr. Derkson, who works in a finance department, attended the Divine Performing Arts (DPA) show with his wife to "discover" Chinese culture.
The guiding mission of Divine Performing Arts is to rediscover and renew
humanity's true, rightful cultural heritage. The company thus creates and
performs works that center upon the true, divinely bestowed culture of
humankind, and seeks to provide an experience of consummate beauty and goodness.
"For me, it is even more pertinent, because I am trying to learn about
Buddhism. In attending the show, I try to grasp the movements which best
express the search for compassion and love for our fellow human beings,"
Mr. Derkson said during intermission at the Place des Arts in Montreal, Jan. 17.
"To create a work of art, one needs rest, inner peace, in order to be able
to put aside our surroundings, our experiences, all the sensations, all
thoughts, one needs to eliminate them completely. This is a type of meditation
in which one must apply to create a work of art. When one has elevated, when his
heart is more pure, he will then create something magnificent, that is for
certain," Mr. Derkson shared.
"There is great joy in their [the dancers'] expression, in their movements
and there is much positive energy. What I see tonight are all elements which I
enjoy greatly."
Indeed, more than just being accomplished artists, members of Divine Performing
Arts bring an unusual depth to their work. They take to heart an ancient Chinese
belief: that to create true art, there must first be inner beauty.
Many draw personal inspiration from traditional Chinese culture and practices,
such as the self-cultivation method of Falun Dafa, and naturally bring a calm
expressiveness and depth to their work.
"In comparison with everything that we are familiar with this is
fantastic," Mr. Derkson said. "This type of athletic and acrobatic
dance [Chinese classical dance], their costumes, the colors ... I was really
astonished to see all this."
He said he equally appreciated the format of the show in which the dance,
singing and orchestral performances are well accompanied by the hosts, who
alternate from French to English, as well as Mandarin.
"I really enjoyed everything they presented ... Because my origins are
Russian, the last piece is the one I enjoyed the most, it is really
interesting," he said, referring to a dance which evoked Tibetan movements
[Dance of the Snow-Capped Mountain].
Source: http://en.epochtimes.com/n2/content/view/10538/
Category: Shen Yun Performing Arts
