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Shen Yun played to a sold out National Arts Centre on its opening night in Ottawa on Thursday Dec. 27, 2012 (Evan Ning/The Epoch Times)
OTTAWA, Canada—The sights and sounds of the Middle Kingdom took centre stage Thursday night at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre for Shen Yun Performing Arts’ opening show.
The performance drew a full house. Among those in attendance was artist Miodrag Doslo, who was impressed by everything from the dance and music to the backdrops and the wide array of colours.
“It’s a beautiful show. I like it very much,” said Mr. Doslo, adding that he also enjoyed Shen Yun’s signature animated backdrops.
“It’s very effective, and colourful and beautiful.”
New York-based Shen Yun is a world-renowned classical Chinese dance and music company whose mission is to revive 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture through the performing arts.
The hallmark of Shen Yun is classical Chinese dance, an art form developed over China’s long and rich history. The continually evolving dance system is one of the most complex and complete in the world, according to the official website.
“I like the liveliness of the people moving in the dance, the colours. Everything’s well thought out,” said Mr. Doslo.
Shen Yun has three equally large companies that tour the world each season, each with its own orchestra which blends Chinese and Western instruments.
“The music was gorgeous,” said Mr. Doslo.
Architect David Cole also heaped praise on the performance.
“Very impressed with the beauty of the music and the dancing. It’s very nice the way it’s presented, and the message is received very well,” he said.
According to the website, “Shen Yun’s costume artists collect countless designs of traditional attire, ranging from those of emperors, ministers, and generals to the everyday clothing of the common people.”
“The costumes are amazing,” said Mr. Cole.
“The backdrops are very nice too, they set up the scenes very nicely, and some beautiful architecture in the back scenes.”
Shen Yun features a collection of story-based dances or mini-dramas that aim to capture the essence of traditional Chinese culture, the website says.
“I think it’s beautiful—this is showing things that are beautiful,” Mr. Cole said, adding that he would recommend the show to his friends.
“I’m very impressed and I think they should come and see it.”
Reporting by Susan Chen and Joan Delaney
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. Shen Yun’s New York Company will be in Ottawa until Dec. 30 before going on to Montreal, Toronto, and other cities in eastern Canada.
For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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