OTTAWA—As freezing rain pounded the city, the internationally acclaimed Shen Yun Performing Arts show was lighting up the National Arts Centre stage for the third straight night.
Kathryn Ascah and husband Terrence Ruddy, both physicians, were enjoying the colourful dances and songs depicting China’s ancient and modern cultures.
“I’m really enjoying it. The costumes in particular are really beautiful. They’re so colourful and so flowing, just really beautiful,” said Ms. Ascah, who works in Cardiology at the University of Ottawa Stress Lab.
Mr. Ruddy appreciated the animated background. He said, “The video is very good. The video and the dancing are very sequenced. One flows into the other. That’s very well done.”
Ms. Ascah agreed, “I really enjoyed the way it was integrated.”
Inspired by traditional Chinese culture, New York-based Shen Yun showcases the beauty and purity of ancient times through dance and meaningful lyrics in each original piece.
“It’s very existential. You look at the words of the song—there’s a real emphasis on the meaning of life,” said Mr. Ruddy.
The Shen Yun orchestra brings together Western and Chinese instruments in its original scores. Mr. Ruddy agreed that a live orchestra was an asset to the show.
“One thing that was kind of interesting was how the different parts of China are depicted, like from Tibet and Taiwan, the diversity,” said Ms. Ascah. Her husband added, “Oh it’s a good experience. People are better for it. It’s inspiring.”
“I think that people that come [to see the show] do learn about the history [of China] and also bringing the current repression of Falun [Dafa] into the play pulls it all together. I guess we’re going through history too, which is really neat.”
Reporting by Lisa Ou and Pam McLennan
Shen Yun has three companies touring theatres around the globe. The Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company is perforingm at the National Arts Centre on Dec. 19–23. For more information visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
