MISSISSAUGA, Canada—Attending Shen Yun Performing Arts’ Saturday afternoon show in Mississauga were several local artists and their families and friends.
Stone sculptor and designer Walt Rickli was at the show with two friends.
All three were impressed by Shen Yun’s colourful handmade costumes, original musical scores, choreography, and 3D digital backdrops.
Mr. Rickli, whose works can be found across North America in healthcare facilities, universities, and public settings as well as in many private residences, was interviewed at intermission.
“It’s very exciting! I love the colours, I love the movement, I love the music and the sound.”
Mr. Rickli studied at Celestial Memorial Sculpture Studio in Barre, Vermont, and was mentored by three of the best known stone sculptors in North America. He owns his own studio, where he has created hundreds of stone sculptures. His sculpture garden is also an attraction in his hometown, Lowville, Ontario.
Shen Yun’s digital backdrops are wonderful, Mr. Rickli said. “I love the way they tie in with the costumes and the colours and the gradation of colours.”
His friend, Janet McNally, an advertising representative, also enjoyed the show. “I think it’s wonderful, the colours are amazing, the costumes are incredible, and the dancers are so talented.”
Lescine Maitland, a massage therapist, noted another aspect of the show. “I love that they are presenting many different facets of Chinese culture. I love that!” she said.
Gudrun Speidel came to the show with her two daughters, Susanne and Annelise.
“Beautiful. I guess it’s the poetry in motion. It gives me the same feeling as if I had taken a lovely walk in the woods all day or had been drawing all day. Just like on cloud nine,” said Susanne, an artist specializing in flower portraits.
Susanne felt she was inspired by it. “This inspiration, it’s food for the soul,” she said.
Her sister, Annelise, a yoga instructor, also expressed her appreciation. “It was really well done. It felt very much like it reached the heart, the soul. It was very deep, very beautiful,” she said.
“It’s a feeling thing. It’s not something you can explain,” she added. “It just felt very spiritual, like it reaches that beautiful part in you, the loving part of you.”
“The music was perfect with the dance. It was just perfect,” Annelise said.
As a yoga teacher, she noted the flexibility of the performers. “I am not quite as flexible as those ladies and gentleman are,” she said.
“I really liked the music,” said their mother, Ms. Speidel, who also took notice of the traditional values conveyed by the performances.
“I just got a lot of how it’s universal—the beauty, the spirituality. It’s the same if you go to India or anywhere where the old values are kept. It’s the same at the core, and I thought it was just beautiful.”
Her comments spoke to the mission of Shen Yun. The premier performing arts company endeavours to reclaim the 5,000-year-old artistic traditions of China through excellence in classical Chinese dance and music that remain true to the moral and spiritual foundation of ancient Chinese culture.
With reporting by Allen Zhou.
Shen Yun has now finished its tour of eastern Canada. The New York-based performing arts company will tour parts of the United States before returning to western Canada in March for shows in Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, and Vancouver.
For more information, visit www.ShenYunPerformingArts.org .
Stone sculptor and designer Walt Rickli was at the show with two friends.
All three were impressed by Shen Yun’s colourful handmade costumes, original musical scores, choreography, and 3D digital backdrops.
Mr. Rickli, whose works can be found across North America in healthcare facilities, universities, and public settings as well as in many private residences, was interviewed at intermission.
“It’s very exciting! I love the colours, I love the movement, I love the music and the sound.”
Mr. Rickli studied at Celestial Memorial Sculpture Studio in Barre, Vermont, and was mentored by three of the best known stone sculptors in North America. He owns his own studio, where he has created hundreds of stone sculptures. His sculpture garden is also an attraction in his hometown, Lowville, Ontario.
Shen Yun’s digital backdrops are wonderful, Mr. Rickli said. “I love the way they tie in with the costumes and the colours and the gradation of colours.”
His friend, Janet McNally, an advertising representative, also enjoyed the show. “I think it’s wonderful, the colours are amazing, the costumes are incredible, and the dancers are so talented.”
Lescine Maitland, a massage therapist, noted another aspect of the show. “I love that they are presenting many different facets of Chinese culture. I love that!” she said.
Gudrun Speidel came to the show with her two daughters, Susanne and Annelise.
“Beautiful. I guess it’s the poetry in motion. It gives me the same feeling as if I had taken a lovely walk in the woods all day or had been drawing all day. Just like on cloud nine,” said Susanne, an artist specializing in flower portraits.
Susanne felt she was inspired by it. “This inspiration, it’s food for the soul,” she said.
Her sister, Annelise, a yoga instructor, also expressed her appreciation. “It was really well done. It felt very much like it reached the heart, the soul. It was very deep, very beautiful,” she said.
“It’s a feeling thing. It’s not something you can explain,” she added. “It just felt very spiritual, like it reaches that beautiful part in you, the loving part of you.”
“The music was perfect with the dance. It was just perfect,” Annelise said.
As a yoga teacher, she noted the flexibility of the performers. “I am not quite as flexible as those ladies and gentleman are,” she said.
“I really liked the music,” said their mother, Ms. Speidel, who also took notice of the traditional values conveyed by the performances.
“I just got a lot of how it’s universal—the beauty, the spirituality. It’s the same if you go to India or anywhere where the old values are kept. It’s the same at the core, and I thought it was just beautiful.”
Her comments spoke to the mission of Shen Yun. The premier performing arts company endeavours to reclaim the 5,000-year-old artistic traditions of China through excellence in classical Chinese dance and music that remain true to the moral and spiritual foundation of ancient Chinese culture.
With reporting by Allen Zhou.
Shen Yun has now finished its tour of eastern Canada. The New York-based performing arts company will tour parts of the United States before returning to western Canada in March for shows in Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, and Vancouver.
For more information, visit www.ShenYunPerformingArts.org .
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