‘That’s the real China,’ Says Art Enthusiast

VANCOUVER, Canada—Art enthusiast Perry Moore said he went to see Shen Yun Performing Arts on March 28 at Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre because, “I wanted to see the traditional culture and the energy of China.”

He was not disappointed.

“I loved it,” he said. “It is so athletic and there is so much energy. That’s China—that’s the real China.”

Moore said he has a passion for architecture and design, especially traditional architecture and gardens.

He loves the traditional buildings and gardens from Chinese culture, but he had wondered where to go to find that traditional spirit, a true Chinese aesthetic. He said that he had read as well as heard from many friends that those wonderful old buildings he admired were gone from Beijing.

“China under communism is very grey,” he said. “They took all the colourful buildings down, and it’s all grey.”

He had seen “official” Chinese shows, but did not find what he was looking for and felt that such shows could not be part of the China that he was seeking.

Upon seeing Shen Yun’s story-based dances, he felt as though he had caught a true glimpse of life in a Chinese village—“a story about life, daily life, but [it is authentic Chinese] instead of the Western mentality.”

In feeling that he had an authentic experience of China through Shen Yun, he said that as a westerner, he was profoundly moved. “You realize—hey, we’re not that much different; those stories are about us living to our fullest path and potential.”

Noting how Shen Yun has stories for everyone’s heart, he said, “It’s all about this: That’s great opera, and it’s personal; that I can take that home and say, ‘Yes, I can use this—I can be a better person.’”

“It was really special. It really got me into the spiritual [aspect] of it,” he said.

Mr. Moore also appreciated the costumes, the pageantry, and the music. He spoke of hearing the timbre of the traditional Chinese instruments playing within the Western orchestral arrangement of Chinese melodies.

“It’s all in a mix of your traditional and Western musicians. I loved the mix. … The music in that—I loved the energy, I loved the passions. It dazzled me.”

He laughed while describing his experience watching Wu Song Battles the Tiger, recalling the acting and expressive movements of the lead dancer.

In addition to story-based dance, Shen Yun dances include classical Chinese dance and folk and ethnic dances.

According to the company’s website, Shen Yun is the only performing arts company in the world that includes in its repertoire pure classical Chinese dance, with “athletic movements and graceful technique [that] have won high acclaim, with its aerial skills, in particular, often leaving audiences in awe.”

“It brings me up,” Mr. Moore said, describing how the dancers interacting with the digital animated backdrops seemed to be carried aloft as if on their own energy. “That just blew my mind.”

The backdrop also displays English translations of the lyrics sung by the vocal soloists. On the whole, Mr. Moore felt that these elements brought a great impact.

“Up, inside, my feeling—now I get what the dancers are feeling.”

With reporting by Michael Wang.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. For more information, please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.