VANCOUVER, Canada—Retired Christian minister Richard Myers and his wife Beth have seen Shen Yun Performing Arts eight times, and plan to attend again in New York at the end of the month.
The couple, whose daughter plays oboe in the Shen Yun Orchestra, were at Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Sunday to take in the performance.
Mr. Myers said that every time he sees the show he is touched by how the dancers’ sincerity and inner beauty come through in the dances.
“One thing we always [observe] is the spirit that comes through the performers,” he said.
“There’s a depth of sincerity about it that comes through very clearly.”
New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. Travelling to almost every corner of the globe, the company’s mission is to revive five millennia of divinely-inspired traditional Chinese culture.
The couple said the dancers are so talented that even the most challenging techniques appear effortless.
“One thing I noticed is how it seemed effortless for the dancers to do such difficult things. They just flowed. I noticed it more this time—how graceful it was,” said Mr. Myers.
“I had to remind myself that it’s really hard to do, because it didn’t seem hard at all for them.”
“Very smooth,” added Mrs. Myers.
According to the Shen Yun website, classical Chinese dance stresses the importance of cultivating one’s inner character in order to move the audience and achieve true beauty onstage.
“Cultivating the inner spirit—its very clear to us that that’s what goes on,” said Mr. Myers.
Ms. Myers added the show expresses themes of goodness, morality, and “making this world a better place.”
Reporting by Peter Zhu and Justina Wheale
Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world.
For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
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