OTTAWA—When Sylvie Lachaine saw the beautiful posters of Shen Yun Performing Arts while walking through a mall recently, she knew right away that it was a show she “would love to see.”
Ms. Lachaine described herself as an artist who does a range of artwork and chooses her subjects based on “wherever my desires and my imagination take me, depending on what’s moving me.” Ms. Lachaine said she was very moved by Shen Yun.
“I found this so moving. It was fabulous. The artistry, all of it, the music, the performers ... all the ribbons, and then the story,” she said.
New York-based Shen Yun, founded in 2006, is devoted to the mission of reviving the authentic traditional Chinese culture through an all-new program of classical Chinese dance and music that it takes on tour around the world each year.
The five-millennia-old ancient culture is inspired by deeply moral and spiritual principles such as truthfulness, compassion, justice, and courage.
These were themes that made a deep impression on Ms. Lachaine.
“The messages it is telling us is [to be] able to express ourselves freely and our beliefs, really be able to have our beliefs, live by them. It was wonderful,” she said.
“These beliefs that they’re talking about in this show are the ancient Chinese beliefs. I think that they’re so important.”
A hallmark of Shen Yun is story-based dances based on ancient Chinese myths and legends as well as tales of faith and heroism in China in the modern day.
Ms. Lachaine said that she felt the presence of the heavenly realm on stage.
“There were gods here. We shouldn’t leave them aside,” she noted.
In particular, Ms. Lachaine felt a sense that the image of women portrayed in Shen Yun was right.
“It’s fabulous. They have their place, and they’re not undermined or belittled and they have a grace and elegance and their own strength,” she said.
She highlighted the piece titled Heroines of the Yang Clan in which a female general goes to war to defend her country, leading her troops to victory.
“Her strength and her courage. she put it on and she went about her duties,” Ms. Lachaine said. “It was marvelous.”
Reporting by NTD Television and Cindy Chan
Shen Yun has three companies touring the world. The Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company will perform at the National Arts Centre on Dec. 19–23. For more information visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
