MONTREAL—Seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts was a magical experience for Annie Racine on Thursday night at Place des Art where the fashion designer found inspiration for her clothing creations as well as deeper reflections about humanity and life.
“It was absolutely beautiful. I had chills all along. It’s filled with emotions,” said Ms. Racine, who is with Street Legal, a leading garment importer/exporter located in the heart of Montreal’s fashion district that offers the latest trends from Europe and North America.
“I fell back to childhood. It was magical,” she said about her experience at the premier classical Chinese dance company’s Montreal opening show.
“Everything was beautiful—music, costumes, choreography,” she said, adding that “the professionalism is incredible.”
Founded in 2006, New York-based Shen Yun takes as its mission the revival of traditional Chinese culture, an ancient heritage that has a history of 5,000 years but was largely destroyed under communist rule in China.
The company tours the world with an all-new production of dance, music, and stories every year, showcasing classical Chinese dance as well as folk and ethnic dance styles that pay tribute to the Middle Kingdom’s diverse regions and dynasties.
As a fashion designer, Ms. Raccine took special notice of the colours and costumes.
“The movement of the fabric, flexibility, gloss, colour—everything seemed calculated, everything was well coordinated,” she said.
“The whole history happens through the colour,” she continued.
