VANCOUVER, Canada—A packed house and enthusiastic applause greeted Shen Yun Performing Arts as the company took the stage at Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Friday night.
New York based Shen Yun has become synonymous with the essence and purity of traditional Chinese culture, and is leading a revival of the country’s rich heritage.
Valeriya Hmak, a journalist and photographer from Khabarovsk, a city in Russia geographically close to China, was pleased to see the show’s representation of authentic Chinese culture.
“It was very very interesting to see this show,” she said. “The culture is big and ancient, and it was very, very beautiful.”
In addition to the dancers who she described as being, “so light, like flowers,” the digital backdrop that accompanies each performance stood out as a highlight of the show.
“It was amazing actually, they are realistic and like from a fairytale,” she said.
According to Shen Yun Performing Arts’ website, “With state-of-the-art graphics technology, Shen Yun’s digital-backdrop team creates vividly animated settings, extending the stage and transporting the audience to a world where heaven and earth are one.”
Business owner Hugo Eppich was also impressed with Shen Yun’s display of traditional Chinese culture.
“It’s wonderful,” he said. “The culture and the long history that it has, it’s very interesting.”
The mission of Shen Yun is to revive China’s ancient culture, a culture that has a heritage that goes back 5,000 years, the world’s oldest continuous culture.
In addition to telling the tales of ancient China, Shen Yun includes stories from contemporary China, in particular the story of Falun Gong, a meditation practice that has been persecuted at the hands of the Communist regime for over a decade.
Mr. Eppich found the pieces depicting Falun Gong to be particularly moving. “I think it shows the value of freedom,” he said.
Reporting by Chen Si and Ryan Moffatt.
Shen Yun has three companies touring the world. The Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company will continue at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre until Feb. 5.
For more information visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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