VANCOUVER—“Lovely” was how ballroom dancer Dale Neale described the classical Chinese dance presented in Shen Yun Performing Arts’ final show for 2014 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Saturday.
Shen Yun features mainly classical Chinese dance in its portrayal of China’s ancient traditional culture and values.
One of the richest and most expressive art forms in the world, classical Chinese dance evolved over thousands of years and has deep roots in traditional Chinese ideas about beauty and grace. It is also physically demanding, incorporating dramatic flips, leaps, and tumbling techniques that share a common ancestry with martial arts.
Mr. Neil, who has a dance studio in Vancouver, said he enjoyed the athleticism of the Shen Yun dancers and acknowledged that such a high level of expertise could not be achieved without rigorous training.
“I’ve seen some very, very talented dancers in this show. The men are very strong,” he said.
He was also taken with Shen Yun’s digital backdrops, which are animated in order to interact with and enhance the pieces being played out on stage.
“Actually it was very cool. I like it. I like the way that they went on and off stage that way. It was very good,” he said.
Also attending the show was Eric Lalli, an engineer who works in failure analysis.
“I was impressed with the talent, the talent of the dancers. I’m impressed by the skill it takes to do those moves,” he said.
Shen Yun takes legends and tales from China’s rich 5,000 year old history and presents them in the form of story-based dances.
“I think the stories add an interesting dimension and help tie together the dance and the music into a story that brings it alive and makes it far more interesting,” said Mr. Lalli.
He added that he also enjoyed the Shen Yun Orchestra, which incorporates both Western and Chinese instruments, such as the pipa and erhu.
Reporting by Ryan Moffatt and Joan Delaney
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
