VANCOUVER, Canada—The audience’s excitement at Shen Yun Performing Arts on Sunday was electric, says Lily Korstanje, managing director of Magnum Projects, one of Vancouver’s most respected real estate project marketing companies.
“I could feel the energy, the heat, and the enthusiasm rising in the audience—I think that’s the true sign of success,” she said.
Ms. Korstanje attended Shen Yun at Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Sunday afternoon and said she found the experience moving.
“I was actually thrown by the beauty, the spirituality, as well as the energy that was emulating from the performers, from every detail,” she said.
“It was overwhelming—way more than what I had expected, even though I heard a lot of good things about it.”
New York-based Shen Yun was created in 2006 by a group of passionate overseas Chinese performing artists who came together to revive China’s traditional culture through the medium of classical Chinese dance.
This divinely inspired traditional culture was all but destroyed under the Chinese communist regime’s various violent movements, such as the Cultural Revolution.
Ms. Korstanje said the dedication and passion of Shen Yun’s performers was truly inspiring.
“The engagement of the performers really shows their passion. … You see on the faces of the performers how engaged they are, how excited and dedicated and believing in what they are doing. That was certainly very clearly conveyed to the audience,” she said.
Shen Yun’s story-based dances aim to express the essence, core values, and spiritual richness of traditional Chinese culture, which was thought to have been bestowed on humans by the gods.
Ms. Korstanje said the dancers’ talent expressed their mission and beliefs beautifully.
“They were so gracious, and in their artistry they make it look so simple. The women are like gazelles, just jumping like light fairies and it just kind of goes with that idea of the divine—I think that is the word—simply divine.”
She also felt the show’s energy had a profound effect on her.
“I feel very elated. I feel very excited. I feel that something has touched me that brought me back on track—to believe that there’s something much larger than life. I definitely had that feeling, and everybody [in the audience] is touched. I think we have gained an insight that is very invaluable.”
Ms. Korstanje said the costumes in the show were so beautiful that they could have been designed by the world’s most prestigious fashion icons.
“I think it was very traditional Chinese, and yet there is an element of fashion in it as well. There’s a very nice balance,” she said.
“The cinnamon colour blended with that bright vibrant blue—those are colours that Christian Dior would use, or Dolce Gabbana. So I find that amazing, the combination of then and now, and yet respecting the classical Chinese ways of costume-making.
“It was just absolutely exquisite.”
Reporting by NTD Television and Justina Wheale
Shen Yun has three companies touring the world. For more information visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
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