MONTREAL—Experiencing Shen Yun Performing Arts was a birthday gift that won’t soon be forgotten for veteran Canadian professor Jacqueline Samperi.
The Italian Studies professor and President of the Association of Professors of Italian in Quebec, took in the show at Montreal’s Place de Arts, on Jan. 8, 2012, as a surprise gift from her husband.
Dr. Samperi said she loved the performance and was stunned by its musical treasure trove.
“The orchestra was absolutely superb and on time. It was incredible. I was amazed,” she said.
New York-based Shen Yun features the world’s only Western-style philharmonic orchestra that combines with traditional Chinese instruments leading the melody.
Trained to precisely match the performers on stage, the orchestra brings an wide range of emotion to Shen Yun’s legendary story-based dances.
Dr. Samperi was moved by the genuine bel canto tenor and soprano vocal performances featured in the show. This singing style, which demands technical perfection in extremely high registers, is so difficult, few in world have mastered it.
“Its very different and very powerful,” said Dr. Samperi.
With an ambitious mission to revive five millenia of traditional Chinese culture, Shen Yun aims to express the essence of this culture that has been all but exterminated under the Chinese communist party’s violent campaigns, such as the Cultural Revolution.
Dr. Samperi, who has spent the past 25 years teaching Italian language, culture, and literature courses at various universities and colleges in Canada, appreciated the rich cultural meaning expressed in the dances.
A piece that touched her entitled Snowflakes Welcoming Spring, honours the eternal change of the seasons, as twirling, snowy scenes give way to the bright birth of spring.
“I think its pretty, its soft, it represents the culture and the festivities that the Chinese people have in welcoming spring,” she said.
“I liked it very much.”
She said the dancers discipline and technical skill were able to express divine themes.
“The posture that they have ... the feet, the hands, the face, everything is very strictly retained. I like it very much and its different,” she said, adding the costumes were “wonderful.”
She also appreciated Shen Yun’s trademark digital backdrops, which use computer imagery to project lavish moving landscapes and celestial scenes. Allowing the dancers to appear as if moving on and off the screen, it brings excitement and thematic context to each story.
“I like when the [characters] come alive on the scene. That is very nice,” she said, adding she appreciated the representations of divine beings manifesting on stage.
Dr. Samperi noted the spiritual essence of traditional Chinese culture presented in Shen Yun is not currently available in China, but gives audiences a sense of optimism for its future rebirth.
“It relies on the divinities, something that is not available in China, so I hope they get it soon,” she said.
Reporting by Donna He and Justina Wheale.
Shen Yun has three equally large companies touring the world with an all-new program each year. Each company has its own orchestra and vocal soloists. Shen Yun’s International Company will perform in Kitchener, Ontario January 10-11 before heading to Toronto for five shows at Sony Centre for the Performing Arts.
For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
