QUEBEC CITY, Canada—Two young dancers found inspiration at the Grand Théâtre de Québec this week, as they took in performances of world-renowned classical Chinese dance and music company Shen Yun Performing Arts.
Éloïse Côté-Gagné, a classical ballet teacher and student at École de Danse Espace Danse, attended on Jan. 14 with her father, nautical engineer Daniel Côté, and said the performance was exceptional.
“I have never seen [dancers] like that, I am totally impressed,” she said. “Incredible, breathtaking.”
“What impresses me a lot is all the coordination is really good, it’s very, very precise,” added Mr. Côté.
Classical ballet dancer Gala Dionne was in attendance the previous night on Jan.13, and had a similarly enthusiastic reaction.
“I think it is very dynamic,” she said. “I think it is very interesting. Very few people know about Chinese culture and it teaches us more about it.”
New York-based Shen Yun is on a mission to revive 5,000 years of divinely inspired Chinese culture though classical Chinese art forms.
Ms. Dionne appreciated the variety of story-based dances in Shen Yun, drawn from ancient Chinese myths and legends.
“The choreography is very varied and each routine is different from one another, so it is great for the audience,” she said, adding that the handmade costumes were stunning.
“The colours are exceptional, the fabrics as well. The variety of fabrics, because they are very light, they float in the air, it was very beautiful.”
Ms. Côté-Gagné was impressed by how the skilled dancers made difficult movements look easy.
“I find that they really can give the impression of ease in movement, which is not always easy,” she said. “[There are] years of work behind it.”
In addition to classical Chinese dance Shen Yun also features folk dance from China’s many ethnic regions. These large group dances often include more than a dozen dancers onstage, performing perfectly in sync. The effect was awe-inspiring, said Ms. Côté-Gagné.
“I felt chills,” she said, adding she hopes to work hard in order to achieve the level of the Shen Yun dancers.
“One day I'd like to dance like that,” she said.
With reporting by Nathalie Dieul and Justina Wheale
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform around the world. With its performance in Quebec now finished, Shen Yun’s International Company will continue on to Mississauga and Toronto. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reaction since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
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