TORONTO—For Mr. Sutherland, a painter, there was no colour out of place in the Shen Yun Performing Arts show he saw on Saturday evening at Sony Centre.
“Every colour is important, and it was used quite judiciously. You see the oranges against the yellows, and everything is [in its place]. Reminds me of Chinese art, the way Chinese have used colours in their paintings,” said the artist.
Based in New York, Shen Yun presents classical Chinese dance and music. A Shen Yun performance also features hundreds of colourful handmade costumes, stunning animated backdrops, and a unique orchestra that combines classical Western instruments with traditional Chinese instruments.
Mr. Sutherland had high praise for the digital backdrops, which show scenes from breathtaking landscapes from different regions in China to wondrous paradises in heavenly realms.
“Going to ethereal realms on screen and coming back to Earth and vice versa—it’s awesome,” he said.
The animation effects in the backdrops, used at times to show characters flying to and from the stage, left the artist highly impressed.
“That’s the magic—the transition between the stage and the screen is pure magic. I’ve never seen something like that,” he said.
“It was so excellent ... you see somebody on stage or somebody from the screen coming into view from the distance, suddenly they land on the stage and come to life. Well how about that?
“And then at the end of the little set, you see the same person go back over towards the screen and jump as if into some water, like the frog—the evil frog was excellent—or the dragon, and flies away into the sky on screen. That’s amazing.”
Mr. Sutherland was referring to the story-based dances, The Monkey King Thwarts the Evil Toad and Ne Zha Churns the Sea.
With reporting by NTD Television
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.
