OTTAWA—It was Patrick Roy’s second year to see Shen Yun Performing Arts at the National Arts Centre on Wednesday night, and the music director left with warm praise for the classical Chinese dance and music that was presented.
“The music is fantastic ... Their lyricism was fantastic. I loved it,” said Mr. Roy, a BA in Music and Arts Administration who works with various parishes in Ottawa.
He noted the beautiful instruments that comprise Shen Yun’s orchestra, recalling in particular how impressed he was last year when a virtuoso soloist took the stage to play the erhu, a traditional Chinese two-string “violin” with ancient roots.
“I really enjoyed that,” Mr. Roy said. “They were on cue with the music, and the backdrop. I enjoyed that very much.”
He also complimented conductor Chia-Chi Lin, saying that she gave a great performance.
A highlight of the show for Mr. Roy’s mother, Lena Roy, was Shen Yun’s vividly animated backdrops that open windows to other realms and extend the stage to scenes that sometimes transcend the human world.
Those digital backgrounds interact with the dancers and lighting and synchronize with the music played by the orchestra.
Ms. Roy said she also enjoyed Shen Yun’s unique orchestra, which features Chinese instruments leading the melodies with the support of a philharmonic orchestra.
“I enjoyed it very much and I liked the Eastern and the Western music combined together,” Ms. Roy said, adding that she deeply appreciated how well the music and dancers coordinated together.
“I thought it was beautiful. The costumes were fantastic this year. The dancers perform excellently. They’re always in sync. They’re always together, and I’ve never seen a show where the dancers are so in tune with each other. They’re so fantastic, I have to say.”
Mr. Roy said he wished he could buy a CD so he could just listen to the music. His mother agreed.
“If I had the time to sit down and actually sit down to listen to the music, that would be interesting,” said Mr. Roy.
He also commented on how much he liked sitting closer to the stage this year.
“It was great. This year I got to sit closer so I got to see a little bit more,” he noted.
“I get to see all the beautiful dresses, and all the beautiful costumes that were done.”
Mr. Roy particularly enjoyed two of the large-scale dances by female performers, Sleeves of Silk and Flower Fairies.
In Flower Fairies, the dancers, dressed in soft pink skirts and gossamer capes, glide across the stage like petals in the wind.
The performance nearly moved him to tears.
“I almost cried,” he said. “It was just beautiful. ... It was excellent.”
Another piece that stood out for Mr. Roy was “The Choice,” a tale about a man in China recruited to be a police officer after catching a thief. The young man parted ways with his female friend, and later chose to forgo his official duty in defence of his friend when she faced injustice from the authorities.
“I thought that was perfect and fantastic,” he said.
“I enjoyed the conflict that was happening as well, with the idea of somebody having to choose between his duties as well as his love for his girlfriend.”
“You can see there’s always these conflicts that are happening, and you have to stand your ground and know the truth, and go out and be able to present that in a loving manner as these guys did tonight. It was excellent.”
Shen Yun presents dances from China’s diverse regions and ethnicities as well as classical Chinese dance, a discipline passed down in imperial courts, dynasty after dynasty.
Many of the dances tell stories from Chinese history or beloved classic novels, such as “Journey to the West.”
All the dances emphasize traditional Chinese culture, a five-millennia-old culture rooted in benevolence, justice, honour, filial piety, reverence for the divine, and other timeless morals and virtues .
“It’s great, excellent timing for around Christmas as with some of the themes in there like spirit and love,” said Mr. Roy.
Reporting by Susan Chen and Matthew Little
Shen Yun has three companies touring the world. The Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company will perform at the National Arts Centre on Dec. 19–23. For more information visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
