Sichuan opera flies high in Toronto (2)

But despite all the novelties, the essence of the original Sichuan opera’s influence is far from lost.

Shen Tiemei, performer of "The Phoenix Pavilion", said, "I think what we have done is quite interesting. We haven’t changed the essence of Sichuan Opera, the singing, the hand gestures and the postures, we’ve kept them original. And the director really respects the traditional elements; he even asked me to exaggerate the hand gestures to make it more theatrical. So in that sense I think we’re preserving and reviving Sichuan opera."

However, the team has put much effort into making the music and drama more accessible to Western audiences.

Atom Egoyan, director of "The Phoenix Pavilion", said, "So there’s a time when I don’t understand what the color meant and what the gesture meant, so the hope is that through this type of production and also through some Western lighting and design techniques there’s a way of bringing the tradition forward and of course the greatest thing about this festival is that traditional sections can really be shown off."

The Luminato Festival was begun in 2007, and is a major event accentuating artistic diversity and inclusiveness.

And the premiere of "The Phoenix Pavilion" at the festival marks an important page in the growing global influence of Chinese performing arts.

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