OTTAWA—As Shen Yun Performing Arts wound up its run at the National Arts Centre on Dec. 26, audience members had high praise for the New York-based company that tours the world showcasing China’s rich traditional culture.
Accountant Paul Ozorak and his wife, Rebecca Han, a dental assistant who came to Canada from China three years ago, were both thrilled with the show.
“I think it’s beautiful. I think it’s amazing. I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Mr. Ozorak.
“It’s my first time and I haven’t been to the NAC in maybe 30 years, but Rebecca, my wife, said I should go, and I’m glad I came.”
“I absolutely love this show. I was crying from the beginning,” said Mrs. Han, adding that the amount of work that went into putting on such a show and the message imparted were what moved her.
“I know it’s a lot of work for traditional Chinese dance, and the message, like truthfulness, tolerance, the message they try to send everybody, to be kind to each other….”
“The students, the teacher, that’s a beautiful piece,” she added, referring to one of the story-based dances that depicts a beloved teacher who is persecuted for practising Falun Gong, a meditation practice banned by the Chinese communist regime.
While the regime doesn’t allow Shen Yun to play in China, Mrs. Han said that if her family were in Canada, “I would bring them to watch this show. It’s a beautiful show, the theme is great, the message.”
“I think it’s amazing,” added her husband.
Klaus Reiser, a German pastor in Canada for one year serving a local German congregation in Ottawa, also attended the Shen Yun show on Boxing Day.
“It was really wonderful,” he said. “I think this old tradition and this modern performance is well done here in Ottawa.”
The mission of New York-based Shen Yun is to revive China’s rich cultural heritage, much of which was lost during the country’s infamous Cultural Revolution. Believed to be a divinely inspired culture, many traditional Chinese art forms emphasized the connection between human and the divine.
Mr. Reiser noted the spiritual elements in Shen Yun’s performances. “In some parts we feel them very well,” he said.
“Loved it,” said Engineer Renee Benjamin, a partner in a consultancy.
“Loved the choreography, loved the music, loved the costumes. It’s beautiful. I would say it’s a must see for everybody, young and old.”
Joy Kamibayashi, a professor at Queen’s University and a sometime actress whose name appears in the credits for the 2008 film Slip, saw Shen Yun for the first time on Boxing Day.
Of Japanese heritage, Ms. Kamibayashi attended the show with her daughter, sister, and mother.
“It was quite impressive. It’s more like an education for me,” she said.
“I liked the mixture of the western instruments with the Chinese instruments. That was unique also. It was a very unique experience that I’ve never had before and I really enjoyed it.”
Neven Raos, who owns an export/import company, said seeing Shen Yun was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“It was very nice, really nice,” he said, adding he was impressed by the singers and dancers.
“It’s something new for me. I haven’t experienced anything like it before. It was really a new experience.”
A couple who visited Ottawa this Christmas from the southern U.S. state of Texas also thoroughly enjoyed the show, which they first heard about two years ago.
“We missed it, so we made sure we made it this time,” said Elsie Abraham, who attended with her husband, Charles Abraham, a lawyer.
“It was a beautiful show [with a] spiritually uplifting message that was communicated through dance and music. It was a message for all humankind, a universal message: truth, compassion, and tolerance,” said Mr. Abraham.
“What more is there?” Mrs. Abraham added.
The couple also said they were impressed with the Shen Yun Orchestra, which blends Western instruments with Chinese instruments such as the pipa, or Chinese lute. The pipa is believed to be a celestial instrument that heavenly beings use to impart the innocence and purity of their paradises to humans, according to Shen Yun’s website.
“It’s beautiful,” said Mr. Abraham of the music.
Shen Yun Performing Arts will be in Hamilton on Jan. 29 and 30, then Kitchener-Waterloo, Montreal, and Toronto in the following weeks. For more information visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
