CALGARY, Alberta—Shen Yun Performing Arts presented another memorable performance in Calgary for audience members that left a lingering, peaceful impression.
Ms. Matley, the “Diva” of the theater stage and jazz clubs, was "blown away" by the talent of the Shen Yun vocalists.
Having grown up in a musical household and being a daughter of a musician, Ms. Matley has been singing with her father since she was a little girl. It was a natural progression for Ms. Matley to continue to develop her voice to a professional standard. Having fronted jazz and R&B groups, as well as playing dominant roles in major theatre productions such as “Jesus Christ Super Star” and “Evita”, Ms. Matley has fulfilled her ambition and has become an influential face in the arts and music scene in Canada and abroad.
"Amazing. It's extremely beautiful. The talent, the flexibility, the strength of the dancers performing is incredible," Ms. Matley said.
Ms. Matley is a versatile singer having trained in jazz, R&B, pop, and blues. She found herself captivated by the beauty of the singers who sang in Chinese classical style.
"It was mesmerizing. … The singing was incredible. The soloists are amazing. I was blown away by them," Ms. Matley said.
The small details in the dances, such as the delicate hand movements and the synchronicity of the many dancers on stage, was appreciated by Ms. Matley.
"When they walk, they floated across the stage. You could barely hear them. It was like they had a wave with them. It was magical.
“I thought it was really phenomenal.
"The backdrops are very high-tech, very colorful, very creative. I've never seen this technology before. I love the way the stories are associated with the backdrops, especially when the Buddha comes out of the backdrop, and then he pops out from behind the stage. That's really neat," she said.
Although it was her first time watching true Chinese classical dance, it made a lasting impact on Ms. Matley. She was left feeling calm and tranquil.
"This is our first time seeing anything like this, so we weren’t sure what to expect. Chinese classical dance is beautiful, it's peaceful, and it flows so well.
“It's very disciplined, very precise. You can see everyone is in sync with one another and their focus is altogether. It's really quite peaceful. There was a peaceful energy on the stage and I enjoyed every bit of it," Ms. Matley said.
Ms. Matley particularly loved the elaborate and highly decorative costumes worn by the dancers, which she thought was "amazing."
"We had an amazing time. We just wanted to know what was going to happen next, what are they going to look like at the next dance, or what their costumes were going to be," she said.
Ms. Matley favorite dance was Dance of the Yi, where the silken rainbow-like skirts mirror the joyful spirit of the dance.
"I love the Dance of the Yi with the colorful skirts and the way it was executed. The way they used their costumes to move just blows me away. It just presents a wonderful picture of art on stage as they are dancing. They are using movements with their costumes.
"When they use the fan and open it up into a flower—that was just so beautiful. We were thinking, ‘Yay, the snow is finally over here in Calgary. Spring is here!’”
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Shen Yun Performing Arts 2009 World Tour. For more information please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org