KITCHENER, Canada—On March 24, professional model Sharlene Rochard attended Shen Yun Performing Arts’ evening show at the Centre in The Square with her two daughters, Bella Lund, an actress, and Olivia Lund, a dancer. It was the family’s first time seeing the show, and they thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
“The backdrop’s really neat. The costumes are just wonderful. The way that they move, the music, everything about it is just amazing.”
Ms. Lund shared her enthusiasm. “It’s really good. It’s a really good show,” she said. “I love their dance moves, and all the music is really good. They’re very flexible, and the costumes and the bright colors are cool too.
Mother and daughter were especially impressed by the piece where the dancers’ long sleeves billowed and flowed like the gentle movement of water on stage. According to the company’s website, these sleeves were a part of ancient Chinese feminine attire representing humility and grace.
Ms. Lund also appreciated how the company brings comedic, heartwarming, and even tragic stories to life through dance and music.
She especially enjoyed the humorous piece about an ambitious young girl who disguises herself as a boy to enroll in a boys-only school, at a time when aristocratic women were expected to stay home and pursue lady-like activities such as embroidery.
“I thought that was really cool that she joins the [boys] and learns the skills, because I never knew that girls couldn’t join schools,” Ms. Lund shared. “It’s cool to learn how times have changed. That was really good.”
“Their acting skills are really [good.] They’re really expressive, and their facial features are really [showing] a lot of emotion in their dancing.”
“They’re amazing, honestly,” she said. “Everything is just so clean and in sync. It’s great to watch. I’m watching it, and I’m like, ‘Whoa,’ over and over. It’s crazy. Surprises one after another.”
Although she had little prior exposure to traditional Chinese culture, Olivia had no trouble understanding the storylines.
“It’s great storytelling,” she said. “All the actions, you can just tell what they’re trying to convey. To me, it’s just really easy to follow along with.”
“I think the message is a wonderful message. Everybody should hear this message. Everybody should come and see this show,” she said.
“The values are very important to remind people. We often forget—especially with the war going on and all of the things in the media that we are seeing every day. It’s very quickly you can forget good values.”
Shen Yun, she added, tells us “to remember the good in people, and to remember to do good—to be good to others.”
