OTTAWA, Canada—Criminal lawyer Leonard Shore and his wife Jane appreciated the spiritual themes, variety, and colour in Shen Yun Perfoming Arts’ first show on a frigid night in the nation’s capital on Thursday.
It’s the eighth year Shen Yun is playing in Ottawa and the full house at the National Arts Centre gave the Shen Yun Performing Arts World Company, one of four Shen Yun companies that tour the world, a heart-warming standing ovation at the end.
Shen Yun aims to revive the ancient, divinely inspired Chinese culture that has been almost completely destroyed under decades of atheist communist rule. At the heart of the performance is classical Chinese dance, which can depict scenes from any time period. This is critical for effectively taking the audience on a 5,000-year journey of Chinese civilization.
“We’re really enjoying it. We think it’s really great. We love the dancing, the choreography, the costumes, and the variety of the acts,” said Mrs. Shore, a speech pathologist, during the intermission.
The first half of the show featured 10 performances that included group dances, the telling of tales through classical Chinese dance, and two Chinese opera singing pieces.
The theme of spirituality resonated with Mr. Shore who admitted, like many who come to see the show, that he’s unfamiliar with traditional Chinese culture.
He noted that spirituality is relevant in today’s society. “Today’s culture is largely a secular culture and heading more in that direction, so it’s nice to have a spiritual path to think about things other than our own consumerism,” he said.
“There’s something greater than us, this planet, and we’ve got to acknowledge that,” Mr. Shore said in describing some of the themes evident in the performance.
Shen Yun acknowledges on its website the connection between art and spirituality and how the divine provides inspiration.
“Throughout history almost every culture looked toward the divine for inspiration. Art was meant to uplift, bringing joy to both the people who created and experienced it. It is this principle that drives Shen Yun performers and their art,” reads the website.
Mr. Shore has practiced criminal law for nearly 45 years and his firm Shore Davis Johnson handles all types of criminal charges in Ontario. He has appeared before various federal Judicial Inquiries, including the Gomery and Arar inquiries, and has provided instruction in the Criminal Procedure Program at the Law Society of Upper Canada’s Bar Admission Course Program and, for several years, was the senior instructor, according to his firm’s website.
Shen Yun will perform three more shows in Ottawa over the next two days.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit Shen Yun Performing Arts.
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.
