TORONTO—Anita Billing saw Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Sony Centre on Saturday evening for the first time.
“It was wonderful, just beautiful. The skill and the expression and the talent and the culture, it was beautiful,” said Ms. Billing, who is the CFO at Talent Payment Services.
Shen Yun Performing Arts, which is based in New York, was formed by a group of leading classical Chinese artists in 2006 who aim to revive China’s divinely inspired culture.
At the heart of Shen Yun is classical Chinese dance; the company also boasts hundreds of colourful hand made costumes, a unique orchestra that blends traditional Western instruments with Chinese instruments, and stunning animated digital backdrops.
“I really liked how they used the props, there was always something in the hand, not just visuals, but for sound effect as well,” she said, citing the Mongolian Chopsticks piece as an example, where the dancers use chopsticks to create a crisp, staccato beat.
“They were part of the music, it wasn’t just the orchestra—which was wonderful as well—but they added, that was part of it,” she said.
“It was more than just dance, it was also acting. Their expressions were incredible.”
Classical Chinese dance, explains Shen Yun’s website, is known for flips, spins and gentle elegance, and is “one of the most rigorous and expressive art forms in the world.”
Through the performance, Ms. Billing said, she could see that traditional values are very deep rooted in the Chinese culture; she could also see that it is persecuted in modern China, but the values have “remained even through all the oppression.”
With reporting by NTD Television
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. Shen Yun’s World Company will perform the last presentations of its current run in Toronto Sunday afternoon. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
