CALGARY, Alberta—Kevin Edwards, mayor of the Town of Three Hills in Alberta, was delighted with the Shen Yun Performing Arts show he attended with his wife, Lea, on Easter Sunday at Calgary’s Jubilee Auditorium.
“It’s marvellous, marvellous. We’re enjoying it tremendously. I can’t believe the excitement of the dance, the color, the movement, the sound. It’s just incredible,” he said.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before. This is just wonderful,” said Mrs. Edwards.
Mr. Edwards said much of the show’s content surprised him, and he discovered how little he knew about Chinese culture and dance.
“I fully expected the grace, the elegance of the movement, but I was surprised at how lively some of the dance and some of the music is. That surprised me. There was a real beat to it, and it really picked up your spirits.”
He said one of the dances that “really clicked” for him was Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution in which the father of a young girl is persecuted for his belief Falun Dafa, a traditional spiritual practice that was outlawed in China in 1999.
“The story of the young man and his wife and daughter who were clearly attacked for their beliefs—what a wonderful ending that story had. That was gratifying. Touching and gratifying,” said Mayor Edwards.
Mrs. Edwards said that she enjoyed the explanation given by the emcees before each act. She also commented on classical Chinese dance, a 5,000-year-old art form and centrepiece of the show.
“The elegance of the dance is very fetching, if I can use that word. It calms and excites you at the same time. Western dance tends to be a little more abrupt ... perhaps, even less graceful. But Chinese dance, and I guess this is reflective of the culture, is quite spiritually uplifting.”
“We were very pleased to receive an invitation to see this event tonight. What I appreciate about tonight is that it shows the hearts, the minds, and the spirit of the Chinese, and I find that captivating,” said the mayor.
“I echo what he says. It’s just magnificent. It’s so graceful and so soothing—very soothing,” said Mrs. Edwards.
Mr. Edwards said he was “very pleased” that Shen Yun is endeavouring to preserve traditional Chinese culture.
“I said once to someone, to one of the visiting Chinese delegations, that Alberta just celebrated its first century of existence, and the Chinese culture has been in existence for almost 40 centuries. So we have much to learn from you, much to admire and respect, and we’re grateful for this chance to be reminded of that again.”
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Shen Yun Performing Arts 2009 World Tour. For more information please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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