OTTAWA—Dennis MacDonald attended Shen Yun Performing Arts’ second show at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre on Dec. 20 and enjoyed the evening immensely.
“The show’s excellent, the choreography was great, I love the dancers and the costumes were fantastic,” said Mr. MacDonald, a Project Director at Public Works and Government Services Canada.
New York-based Shen Yun, the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company, devotes itself to the mission of reviving traditional Chinese culture and art forms, which have all but been demolished under 60 years of communist rule in China.
Mr. MacDonald said he learned a great deal about ancient China through the performance, and especially enjoyed watching the Chinese myths and legends play out through dance.
“The history is the part that I’m interested in, so this explains stories through dance, which is an excellent way to do it because it’s entertaining at the same time,” he said.
He was particularly captivated by How the Monkey King Came to Be, a story-based dance based on the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West.
A pillar of traditional Chinese culture, the story follows the epic journey of the brave and clever Monkey King as the mythical character overcomes numerous obstacles in search of sacred Buddhist scriptures.
Stories such as this speak to the deep spiritual essence of traditional Chinese culture, with its values of benevolence, propriety, wisdom, righteousness, and sincerity.
Mr. MacDonald said Shen Yun makes China’s 5,000 year history accessible to audiences.
“It told a good story and it was easily understood,” he said.
He was also happy to see Chinese folk dances as well as ethnic dances representing China’s many ethnic groups, including a lively Tibetan dance representing the resilience and reverence of the people.
“It was nice to see—it added flavour to the program,” he said.
With reporting by Donna He and Justina Wheale
Shen Yun will perform at the National Arts Centre from Dec. 19 through Dec. 23. For more information visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
