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Mr. Panziera’s company, Persego, has offices in Eastern Canada and the United States and prides itself in its “leading-edge sustainable engineering services.”
“It was a fantastic show. I think it was a great showcase of traditional Chinese culture—of both dance and spirituality. I enjoyed it very, very much and I enjoyed bringing my daughter,” he said.
He praised Shen Yun’s performances of classical Chinese dance, one of the oldest and most sophisticated dance systems in the world.
“They were fabulous. My daughter especially appreciated it. She studies dance as well. It was fantastic,” he said.
Mr. Panziera particularly appreciated the spiritual aspects of the dances.
“I think dance is a great form of communication, of art and of stories,” he said. “So traditionally, especially spiritual stories are told through dance.”
“It’s one of the reasons I bring my children here, for that specific fact to expose them to [something] other than television. Most of the media we have here today focus on materialistic pursuits” he said.
“Promoting spirituality is really absent from mainstream media. What I’ve learned as I’ve grown and matured with wisdom is that there’s more to life than just acquiring more stuff.”
He emphasized the need for transmitting these values.
“We have to learn from the past and those lessons have to be passed on, otherwise future generations can’t benefit from that,” he said. “A lot of our problems today are because we’ve forgotten some of those valued lessons.”
Mr. Panziera noted one such lesson in the story of The Great Han Xin.
The Chinese general, celebrated for bringing order to a chaotic period in Chinese history, is portrayed as a young man who nobly endures the provocation by a ruffian on the street. His act of great forbearance is noticed by the future emperor’s advisor. As a general in the Chinese imperial army, Han Xin later meets the ruffian again and rather than punishes him, invites him to join his ranks.
“One thing I’ve learned is compassion, even towards your enemies. That is something we’ve forgotten that we could all benefit from,” he said.
“The Art of War by Sun Tzu spoke about that,” he explained. “We need to, not necessarily destroy our enemies, but the best way to win is to make them part of us. So I thought that story was very close to what I read there. It was very inspirational.”
Mr. Panziera was impressed by other elements of the dance as well.
“I liked the historical aspect too, [the understanding] of how many elements have now become part of our modern dance. They were taken from Chinese culture. Understanding where they came from helps you appreciate that art form today,” he said.
Alongside classical Chinese dance, Shen Yun also features ethnic dances.
“I liked the variety of dances, especially from the different regions, from Tibet, from the other parts of China. For me it was a great diversity,” said Mr. Panziera.
Having a strong interest in history, Mr. Panziera appreciated the historical lessons offered by Shen Yun.
“I learned a lot [at the show]. I learned especially about the different types of Chinese culture, the different provinces and the different heritages of each. Each one has something that they can contribute,” he said.
He noted the importance of intercultural learning.
“One of the key benefits here [in Canada] is that we can take from other cultures and learn from them as well.”
With reporting by Matthew Little.
Shen Yun will be performing one more sold-out show in Mississauga this Saturday evening.
For more information, please visit www.shenyunperformingarts.org.
