TORONTO—Milo Vassallo is one of Toronto’s noted movers and shakers. A past president of the Rotary Club for one of Toronto’s wealthiest neighbourhoods, he invited many friends to join him at Shen Yun Performing Arts on opening night Thursday at Sony Centre for the Performing Arts.
“Fantastic,” Mr. Vassallo said during the VIP reception following the performance.
He said it was one thing to see the advertisements, but another to see it in person.
“It’s out of this world, I was amazed. I mean, I’m an old man, I’ve seen a lot in my life, but this is really magnificent. I enjoyed every single minute of it.”
Mr. Vassallo, a former Honorary Consul General of Malta, is currently treasurer of the diplomatic corps in Toronto, as well as treasurer of the European Travel Commission.
“I always love history, and this audience was exposed to 5,000 years of history, Chinese history,” he said.
Shen Yun was founded on a mission to revive 5,000 years of divinely inspired Chinese culture, a heritage nearly lost after 60 years of communist rule.
“It’s beautiful, and there is always a … rhythm from the songs that they sang, I was looking at the words and it’s beautiful.”
Many of Shen Yun’s dances tell classic tales of good triumphing over evil. Some of those tales are historical, others based in the present day.
“What the world is going through, but it’s always about the good against the evil. This is really what this world is all about.”
Mr. Vassallo said the evening’s performance would stay with him for a “long, long time.”
He said he enjoyed the live orchestra that accompanied the dancers. Shen Yun’s orchestra combines a philharmonic orchestra with Chinese instruments which lead the melodies.
“I like the music because it was something that’s alive...There was not one time when you say, ‘oh! this is dragging.’ It was all the time very, very light, extremely light.”
Shen Yun is also known for its digital backdrops. Projected behind the dancers, they feature vivid animations that sometimes interact with the dancers on the stage. Mr. Vassallo said he thoroughly enjoyed the precision of those interactions.
He said he would make sure that his wife and daughter, who were busy that night, came to see the show as well.
“I can’t find enough words to say how much I really enjoyed it.”
Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company is in Toronto for five performances at Sony Centre for the Performing Arts.
For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
