SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun Is a ‘Colorful Way to Describe a Culture’

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Shen Yun Is a ‘Colorful Way to Describe a Culture’
Scott and Kelly Bradford at the Shen Yun Performing Arts performance at FirstOntario Concert Hall in Hamilton, Ont., on April 12, 2024. Charlie Lu/The Epoch Times

HAMILTON, Canada—Scott Bradford, the director of communications for a pharmaceutical company, and his wife Kelly came to see the final performance of Shen Yun Performing Arts in Hamilton on April 12.

“It was beautifully done. I especially loved some of the female dance numbers,” said Mrs. Bradford, a bank teller.

Shen Yun, based in New York, was founded on a mission to revive 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture before communism took hold in China.

“It was a really interesting, colorful way to describe a culture that’s been around for thousands of years, which is pretty rare,” said Mr. Bradford.

Shen Yun’s artists are trained in classical Chinese dance, which, alongside ballet, is one of the most comprehensive dance systems in the world.

“Congratulations. They’re great dancers. It’s kind of like ballet but a little bit more athletic. I think it was interesting,” said Mr. Bradford.

The dances seen in the performance often tell a story that comes from Chinese history, legend, or literary classics. Mr. Bradford expressed his surprise at seeing the stories incorporated into the dances.

“I didn’t realize there would be the stories. I just expected dance. So I thought that was a nice surprise,” he said.

Shen Yun system of integrating its digital backdrop with the performers on stage is a patented technology. The projection extends the stage endlessly, allowing dancers to interact and pop on and off the stage in the blink of an eye.

“The stories were interesting as well. The combination of the video with the live dance was a really unique way to present the stories. So I thought that was well done,” said Mrs. Bradford.

Shen Yun strives to share the beauty of China before communism, and because of this, Shen Yun is unable to perform in China.

“That’s very complicated. I appreciate the message and the struggle that the organizers of Shen Yun are having. And I noticed that some of the dancers are from China, but I think it’s very brave, what they’re doing,” said Mr. Bradford.

He elaborated on his understanding of the control that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has around the world.

“I know that the Chinese government has a long reach across the world, and so I don’t know if they’re [the performers are] at any risk of anything, but I appreciate that they’re trying to get a message out there,” he said.

Mrs. Bradford added her appreciation of Shen Yun’s sharing the truth of the CCP in such a peaceful and artistic manner.

“It’s not offensive, but it’s bold. ... [It was] a message that’s done in a peaceful way—fairly subtly, but enough that you can get the message,” she said.

Reporting by Charlie Lu and Maria Han.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
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