MONTREAL—A Montreal car dealership president lauded the Shen Yun Performing Arts artists after seeing the show on Sunday at Place de Arts, calling their efforts to preserve traditional Chinese culture “magnificent.”
“The artists do it really with their heart, as they desire to preserve the traditional culture and the classical Chinese dance which is currently disappearing in China. We find this side of it really interesting,” said Rejean Losier, president of Boisvert Mitsubishi.
New York-based Shen Yun was formed in 2006 and has since grown exponentially, gracing the stages of the world’s most prestigious theatres in its mission to revive China’s lost traditional culture through performances of classical Chinese dance.
“A very, very beautiful and colourful show, truly, the artists are really synchronized. It’s really a beautiful deployment, excellent!” said Lucile Brunet, who works in the mortgage industry and accompanied Mr. Losier to the show.
Shen Yun features lively story-based dance performed through both classical Chinese dance and folk or ethnic dance.
These dance styles and the legends they portray had been passed down successfully in China for five millennia, expressing integral cultural values such as righteousness, loyalty, and reverence for the divine.
But during campaigns of suppression launched by the Chinese regime, such as the Cultural Revolution, divinely inspired culture and art forms were deliberately destroyed in order to breed total allegiance to the officially atheist party.
Mr. Losier was surprised to find out that Shen Yun cannot travel to China, where traditional arts and values, as well as freedom of speech, continue to be suppressed.
“To know that [the company] is based in New York and that they are people passionate about Chinese culture, who make an effort to preserve it, that is interesting,” he said, adding, “It is magnificent.”
Ms. Brunet said the performers’ enthusiasm and positive spirit were displayed in every detail of the show.
“We see it in their face, even in the hand technique of the women, it’s more refined,” she said.
Mr. Losier agreed, saying the show could uplift the audience through its inspiring message.
“It’s really very beautiful and we can see the spiritual side ... we feel it through this.”
He noted that “it is something we seek!”
Mr. Losier appreciated the hosts of the show who explain each dance story in French, English, and Mandarin before the presentation, to help give the audience a deeper understanding of traditional Chinese culture.
“We like the narration a lot, it explains the pieces which are presented,” he said. “It’s interesting to have the pieces explained, and to understand.”
Ms. Brunet said it was a pleasure to take a tour of traditional Chinese culture through Shen Yun.
“We found it very inspiring. It’s nice to see the wealth that China carries.”
With reporting by Nathalie Dieul and Justina Wheale.
Shen Yun has three equally large companies touring the world with an all-new program each year. Each company has its own orchestra and vocal soloists. Shen Yun’s International Company will perform in Kitchener, Ontario, on Jan. 10-11 before heading to Toronto for five shows at Sony Centre for the Performing Arts.
For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
