By He Yu, Zhang Yunduo in Toronto, Canada
(Clearwisdom.net) On January 18, 2008, the Divine Performing Arts opening
performance in Toronto attracted many artists who highly praised the show. Among
them was Conrad Chow, a Canadian violinist of Chinese descent. Canadian Chinese violinist Conrad Chow Despite being born and raised outside of China, the
traditional belief presented in the show struck a sympathetic chord in Mr. Chow A friend of Conrad Chow recommended that he definitely should not miss seeing
the Divine Performing Arts' performance. Even after the end of the show, Mr.
Chow's mind was filled with the dance scenes. He said, "Daniel was right.
I'm so fortunate to have listened to him." Conrad Chow has traveled to China and visited Beijing, Shanghai, Guilin, Xian
and other places. He said that he had watched a Tang Dynasty style dance in
China, but there was no comparison to the Divine Performing Arts dances.
"Everything-- from the performances to the costumes, dances, music,
backdrops, and so on--was outstanding. It is hard to choose among the great
scenes for the one I could say I liked the best." A musician himself, Mr. Chow thought the music to be excellent. He said that
the combination of composition, backdrop, dance and drama were perfect.
Generally when a story is told through music, people have a tendency to get
bored if they are not familiar with it. But, the music in this show is so
touching. Born and raised outside of China, Mr. Zhao felt deeply moved when seeing the
traditional Chinese belief presented through the performance. He found the story
of the two teenagers seeking refuge from the weather in a temple was
enlightening. He thinks that his creative touch as an artist will benefit from
having seen the show: "The show presented me with great information useful
for my work as a musician. In modern society people are lost. As a musician I
enjoy traditional music and dance. But in reality I have to present what the
audience likes. This show gave me the direction I should take in the
future." Mr. Zhao's grandparents watch NTDTV's television programs and like them.
"They said that NTDTV shows are great and they also wanted to come to the
show. They started to learn about Falun Gong and its call for lifting moral
standards through NTDTV programs. Unfortunately people in China do not have
freedom like people in Canada. I think the Divine Performing Arts tells people
the truth through art. It is great." Mr. Zhao wanted to let people who haven't seen the show know that the
2008 Olympics in Beijing will be held soon and the entire world will be watching
China. Showing traditional Chinese culture is very important, just like today's
show. It's definitely worth seeing. No one should miss the opportunity to see
the show. It's so powerful and vivid. It's true Chinese culture with its 5,000
years of history. "Being of Chinese decent, I'm proud of the Divine
Performing Arts' performance. It expressed traditional Chinese culture perfectly
through classical dance and music," said Mr. Chow. Conrad Chow was born in Toronto. He began to play the violin at the age of
three. He studied with famous violinists, including Pamela Frank and Ani
Kavafian at New York State University and obtained a Ph.D.. Having given solo
performances in many U.S. and Canadian art centers, Konrad is a rising star.
Chinese version available at
http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2008/1/19/170680.html