OTTAWA—As an aerospace scientist who measures aircraft sound, Jerry Syms knows that great power is not always visible.
But it was another invisible force that captured his attention on Monday, Dec. 19: the buzz at the Shen Yun Performing Arts premier at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre.
“I could feel the energy of the audience, and the energy of the dancers,” he said.
“This was an amazing performance.”
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. Through story-based classical and folk dance, the company’s mission is to revive 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture and art forms.
Mr. Syms is a scientist at the National Research Council, a federal agency that serves as a leading resource in Canada for scientific and engineering research, development, and innovation. He was touched by the vibrancy and sincerity exuded by the performers.
“You could see them smiling and you could see that they were putting everything into it. That was very nice to see—it was nice to be a part of this experience.”
Mr. Syms felt that the performance radiated with a positive spiritual element. As legend has it, traditional Chinese culture was thought to be a semi-divine culture, brought to earth by the gods.
“There was a lot of vibrancy in the dancing and the music. It really moved me inside and the spiritual message in the songs was really touching ... very touching lyrics,” he said.
But it was the diversity in the dance, music, and animated, moving backdrops that combined to create a winning formula for the scientist.
“All the various styles, the various ways of combining everything together was just amazing. And the use of the [moving backdrop] to introduce all the dancers—was amazing to see, interesting ... It was very good.”
Shen Yun’s hallmark moving backdrops are digitally created to interact with the dance pieces, projecting stunning landscapes and creating the illusion that the dancers can literally fly off the stage.
Mr. Syms was also inspired by the colours in the show, which he says were vibrant yet harmonious.
“It had colours of all over the rainbow. There were very nice colours that went together, there was a lot of vibrancy,” he said.
He says he had been waiting to see the show for several years, and was thrilled to finally get the chance to attend.
“It was a gift for myself and for my wife. We came and it was excellent.”
Reporting by Donna He and Justina Wheale
Shen Yun has three companies touring the world. The Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company will perform at the National Arts Centre Dec. 19–23. For more information visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
