Four days and five shows of cultural enrichment via the charm and grace of Shen Yun Performing Arts left its indelible, yearly mark on Toronto theatregoers.
Dignitaries, artists, and officials came out to see Shen Yun’s all new-program at Toronto' Sony Centre Jan. 12 –15. Some saw it for the first time, while others have made Shen Yun an annual tradition.
Such was the case with Seth George Ramocan, Jamaica’s Consul General to Toronto.
“This is the second time my family and I are here. Last year it was just extraordinary, and the standard has just been consistently high. The talent, the creativity, the performance—it really is quite different,” he said.
He also remarked on the importance of Shen Yun’s revival of Chinese traditional culture, the essential core of which was destroyed as a result of Chinese Communist Party campaigns like the Cultural Revolution.
“I believe that the restoration of this culture in China is something that we look forward to. The Chinese people are very special people. They provided the world with so much very rich culture.”
Among others making Shen Yun a yearly tradition was Ontario MPP Michael Prue.
“I’ve been to most of them,” he said, referring to Shen Yun’s six years of performing in Toronto. “I come back because I love the art. I love the discipline of the dancers, and the music. I love the mythology and how it’s presented. It’s really quite a magical performance.”
Since 2006, New York-based Shen Yun has been bringing its lavish production to audiences around the world as part of its renaissance of the authentic culture of the Middle Kingdom.
As Chinese New Year approaches and the Year of the Dragon looms large for an auspicious 2012, Shen Yun has truly come to epitomize the essence of Chinese culture.
“The storytelling was so rich and vivid—they really did make you feel like you’re going back in time to ancient China. Such a grand history, and they really brought that to life tonight,” said TV producer Morgan Roebuck.
Beauty With Substance
More than just entertainment, many audience members find that Shen Yun’s deep conviction for restoring Chinese culture to its past glory particularly moving.
“There are a lot of shows out there that are spectacular and breathtaking and artistic, and to me, as a writer, that is not enough,” remarked award-winning Iranian-Canadian author Marina Nemat.
“To me, beauty is wonderful; we are human, we love beauty, but beauty needs to have substance—it’s not just about a beautiful dance. I am glad that I came,” she said.
The hallmark of Shen Yun is classical Chinese dance which has a history of thousands of years, passed down continuously within the imperial court and ancient Chinese theatre and opera, according to the Shen Yun Performing Arts website.
Soaking up profound wisdom from every era and dynasty, it has become a complete system of dance, embodying traditional aesthetic principles with its unique dance movements, rhythms, and inner meaning.
Barbara Szabunia Forrest, director of Theatre Dance Academy, viewed the performance with an expert’s eye.
“I loved the technique, I thought it was flawless. It was beautiful, so graceful,” she said. “I looked at it in terms of choreography, because that’s my field, and I really enjoyed it.”
Toronto city councillor Mary Fragedakis, a self-described “huge fan of dance,” saw Shen Yun for the first time, describing it as “one of the top things I’ve seen.”
“Words cannot describe the spectacular dance and the costumes and the singing. It’s wonderful,” she said.
“It’s just incredible. They’re tremendous athletes, the dancers. So I’m very, very impressed with the quality of the dance.”
Music producer, singer, sound engineer, songwriter, and musician Paul Carroll called Shen Yun’s blend of East-meets-West the “best representation I’ve ever heard of Chinese culture.”
“They’ve blended enough traditional Chinese elements and scales with more familiar orchestral things that make it very accessible and easy to participate in and follow along what the melody is, what the rhythm is, etc. I just think it’s excellent,” he said.
Shen Yun finished the Eastern Canadian leg of its tour with a stop in Mississuaga last weekend and is continuing on to the Western provinces.
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