HAMILTON, Canada—“It’s beautiful, it’s fantastic—it’s probably the most beautiful dancing I have seen in a very long time,” said Megan Robb, a ballet teacher at the Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts after seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts’ debut performance on Tuesday night.
“It’s gorgeous,” she added, speaking during the intermission of the show which played to a full house.
Ms. Robb has danced in ballet for 22 years and now teaches at one of Hamilton’s most prestigious dance schools. Her trip to Hamilton Place to see Shen Yun was a Christmas gift from her mother, Cathy.
“She has been asking for this since August,” said Cathy.
“It’s beautiful,” said Ms. Robb. “It’s so cultural and the costumes are fantastic and the staging is gorgeous; it’s just perfect.”
Her mother, an early childhood educator, agreed.
“It’s a really nice balance of everything. It’s very colourful and it’s very beautiful. It’s just a little bit different movement than we are used to seeing and it’s just really nice to be able to see that.”
With an expert’s eye, Ms. Robb went on to describe what exactly she liked so much about the dancing in Shen Yun.
“First and foremost, the jumping that they are capable of blows me away…and everything else is beautiful. The athleticism behind it is stunning—absolutely stunning,” she said.
“The choreography is stunning and the dancers and the emotion on their faces—they are living it on stage and you’re right there along with them.”
She particularly enjoyed a piece called “Handkerchiefs,” a folk dance from northeastern China.
“I know how hard that is probably to do and I can just imagine how much time and training went into it.”
Ms. Robb said the dances that dealt with the suppression occurring in China today were particularly moving. “It was very touching.”
She said she was also impressed by the attention to detail and the costumes, but the cultural element was a major part of what she appreciated.
“I love the stories that they’re pulling from the culture and telling us where in China this takes place. You feel like you are there.”
Cathy was quite taken with the music.
“The music pulls at your heart strings and it takes you there. You talk about the backdrop, it’s that extra layer to the whole experience that is very authentic sounding.”
She added that she was grateful for the emcees who introduced each act in both Chinese and English.
“It’s something you‘d like to see like three times just to see the whole picture because there is so much happening all the time. I am sure you could see it over and over again and you’d always catch something new in it because there is so much going on.”
Her daughter agreed.
“It’s complete, it’s whole and everything works together really nicely and it just draws you in and you are so busy looking at everything that you just get caught up in it. It’s beautiful,” she said.
“I'll just keep coming back to see it—it’s beautiful. I love it.”
For more information visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org .
“It’s gorgeous,” she added, speaking during the intermission of the show which played to a full house.
Ms. Robb has danced in ballet for 22 years and now teaches at one of Hamilton’s most prestigious dance schools. Her trip to Hamilton Place to see Shen Yun was a Christmas gift from her mother, Cathy.
“She has been asking for this since August,” said Cathy.
“It’s beautiful,” said Ms. Robb. “It’s so cultural and the costumes are fantastic and the staging is gorgeous; it’s just perfect.”
Her mother, an early childhood educator, agreed.
“It’s a really nice balance of everything. It’s very colourful and it’s very beautiful. It’s just a little bit different movement than we are used to seeing and it’s just really nice to be able to see that.”
With an expert’s eye, Ms. Robb went on to describe what exactly she liked so much about the dancing in Shen Yun.
“First and foremost, the jumping that they are capable of blows me away…and everything else is beautiful. The athleticism behind it is stunning—absolutely stunning,” she said.
“The choreography is stunning and the dancers and the emotion on their faces—they are living it on stage and you’re right there along with them.”
She particularly enjoyed a piece called “Handkerchiefs,” a folk dance from northeastern China.
“I know how hard that is probably to do and I can just imagine how much time and training went into it.”
Ms. Robb said the dances that dealt with the suppression occurring in China today were particularly moving. “It was very touching.”
She said she was also impressed by the attention to detail and the costumes, but the cultural element was a major part of what she appreciated.
“I love the stories that they’re pulling from the culture and telling us where in China this takes place. You feel like you are there.”
Cathy was quite taken with the music.
“The music pulls at your heart strings and it takes you there. You talk about the backdrop, it’s that extra layer to the whole experience that is very authentic sounding.”
She added that she was grateful for the emcees who introduced each act in both Chinese and English.
“It’s something you‘d like to see like three times just to see the whole picture because there is so much happening all the time. I am sure you could see it over and over again and you’d always catch something new in it because there is so much going on.”
Her daughter agreed.
“It’s complete, it’s whole and everything works together really nicely and it just draws you in and you are so busy looking at everything that you just get caught up in it. It’s beautiful,” she said.
“I'll just keep coming back to see it—it’s beautiful. I love it.”
For more information visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org .
