VANCOUVER, British Columbia—The young dancers of Shen Yun Performing Arts impressed Ms. Watters, a Vancouver actress, by championing the culture of their Chinese roots.
“They are not saying, oh we want to do hiphop. We want to do whatever the local fad is for dance. They actually want to honour their past, and to research and to do the best presentation they can to show the rest of the world what their traditions are.”
They want to show the world: “This is where I come from. This is my heritage, and I am so proud of that,” said the actress.
Shen Yun completed its first of seven performances at Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Friday to an audience appreciative of the company’s inspiring presentation of traditional Chinese culture.
An important part of Shen Yun’s mission is to revive the five-millenia-old artistic heritage of China. Each program is rich with background and meaning.
“I loved the show. I really liked the colorful costumes and the dancing.
“I loved watching it. It is just so informative. There is a lot of folklore, a lot of Chinese folklore and Chinese mythology that I, as a person who is Causasian, was not aware of. It is a very lovely and beautiful way to introduce me to that.”
Shen Yun is renowned for its Chinese classical dance, which itself comprises ethnic and folk dance, story-based dance, and aerial movements such as dives, leaps, and spins. In its early stages it was mainly passed down among the common people, through members of the imperial court, and as part of ancient theatre.
“Although I don’t dance, I do appreciate dance. It was wonderful to see the patterns of the dances and to see the stylistic movements of the traditional Chinese dance. It is so much different from Western dance or modern dance,” remarked the actress.
Ms. Allart, a reporter for a local radio station, attended the show with Ms. Watters.
“I liked the show very much. The show is great; beautiful costumes, beautiful colors. I loved the material and the fabric, and the gentle movements—very beautiful,” she said.
For more information, please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org