“I cried a lot at first. Simply because there was this feminine grace, this sweetness that I no longer find in the media, in everyday life. At a specific moment, there is a message conveyed about this modern world in which these values are no longer present. We are in the process of losing these values that are so beautiful, spiritual, meditative, and graceful. And [Shen Yun] was good for my soul,” Berard said, who attended New York-based Shen Yun on Jan. 5, 2020, at the Place des Arts.
“I felt wrapped in gentleness and I don’t often feel that way in the reality we live in now. So it made me ... my eyes were flowing. I was crying, carried by the grace that enveloped me, and came from the stage.”
Berard got her start as a child singer and actress on television in Quebec. She joined the cast of Starmania, an internationally acclaimed rock opera, as a young woman, and went on to headline well-loved musical theater productions in Quebec and France.
Berard is also a beloved recording artist with solo albums under her belt. She was picked by Disney to perform the songs sung by the main character, Pocahantas, for the French movie soundtrack of the same name. She could not see the project through, unfortunately, but the version of her singing “Colors of the Wind” for the trailer still exists and is a fan favorite on Youtube. She was tapped again to sing Pocahantas’s songs in the French version of the sequel, which she did, and sang the theme song on the popular video game “Prince of Persia.”
Berard has composed popular songs through the years, including “Shall be Done” for Sarah Brightman.
“It really gets to me because ... we see this being, so small, so delicate, so graceful, and with such an impressive vocal power that comes out of this little lady and is projected. At the end, she projected such a powerful, powerful note, it impressed me. I would be curious to know what vocal techniques bring such a vocal power,” Berard said.
According to Shen Yun’s website, “Ancient Chinese theater and early European opera shared the same singing technique, believed to produce the most beautiful and pure tone of voice.”
Bel canto is often referred to as a lost art, rarely used on stage nowadays, but Shen Yun seeks to preserve it. The website adds the soloists’ “ability to perform bel canto while retaining perfect Chinese diction is likewise unparalleled.”
“Oh! This ethnic, folk mix, through ancient and new instruments, it’s a perfect blend. It’s a little bit this ‘comic book’ side sometimes that the ancient music can bring through the woodblocks. I don’t know the name of the instruments but it brings a very expressive, comic-strip-like atmosphere, which is very beautiful, which is also expressed by the dancers. So there is this harmony between the music and the dance which is really perfect,” Berard said.
“What really moved me was the courage to denounce things that hurt people. The elegance, gentleness, sensitivity, the mix of violent words in the sad message that comes through in this very touching melody, of a couple who can’t be together because a regime prevents it, it struck me. I wasn’t expecting that. So I was moved, touched by this musical expression,” Berard said.
The acclaimed artist feels that Shen Yun is doing a stellar job of informing the world about this injustice, using the arts.
“Yes! In fact, I think Shen Yun has taken an extremely courageous and educational mission for us North American people who sometimes I think are cut off from what is really happening in Asia. We only see through the eyes of the media, we don’t look any further. And this show travels through this poetry, this beauty, messages that are very important to us Westerners, very important.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHBoExmSC4U
“That’s what moves me about this show. You use this grace, this beauty, this elegance to iterate difficult things that we need to hear through other media than politics or written messages. It’s through this light, this poetry, this dance that expresses itself ... not distress but ... In fact, I am very moved because we are under the impression that there is something that can be lost, beauty can be lost in a silent, insidious way. And that’s what this show reminds me of: We mustn’t forget that people have ancient, folkloric stories. The poetry of these people must continue to exist. Regimes must not prevent this,” she said.
“Vive Shen Yun! Long live Shen Yun!” Berard exclaimed.
