MISSISSAUGA, Canada—Actress and singer Amanda Thomson adored Shen Yun Performing Arts after seeing the classical Chinese dance and music company perform at the Living Arts Centre on Saturday afternoon.
“I think it’s great; obviously the choreography is very technical, I’m not a dancer per say, but for the performance aspect, the facial expressions, it’s great,” Ms. Thomson said.
Ms. Thomson is one of the stars of YTV’s Totally Amp'd, and is also working on her music career with a new single out titled “Wildfire.”
Besides the artistic aspect, watching Shen Yun was an educational experience for the young artist, who said she learned more about what is happening in China through the performance.
Based in New York, Shen Yun has a mission to revive China’s divinely inspired culture. Shen Yun performances feature a number of dance pieces, each showing scenes from China’s 5,000 years of history and mythology. Some of the dance pieces also show the present situation in China and the suppression by the communist regime.
“I actually didn’t know a lot about what’s going on over in China so that was very educational, so I'll probably take that home,” Ms. Thomson said.
The performance, she said, is “beautiful and enjoyable.”
Andrew Thomson, Amanda’s father, said he also highly enjoyed the Shen Yun performance.
“I think it’s a lovely show, and it’s invigorating, a lot of culture that maybe a lot of Westerners are unfamiliar with,” said Mr. Thomson, who is a real estate developer.
The performance left Mr. Thomson with a feeling of joy and relaxation, he said.
The dancers, Mr. Thomson said, were all top-notch, and what stood out to him was how all the dances were very accurate and professional.
The animated digital backdrops used throughout the performance interacts with the scenes on the stage in a way Mr. Thomson said intrigued him.
With reporting by Teng Dongyu
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. Shen Yun’s World Company will perform once more in Mississauga and then in Toronto Jan. 23-26. 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.
