‘So beautiful, it brings tears to my eyes’

VANCOUVER, Canada—Shen Yun Performing Arts had its final curtain call before a full house at Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Sunday, March 28. The audience was delighted with the depiction Chinese traditional culture through music, song, and dance.

John MacDonald, a resort businessman, and Jan Marawanky, a spa manager, were touched by the beauty of the show.

“So beautiful, it brings tears to my eyes,” said Ms. Marawanky.

“Very much so,” Mr. MacDonald said. “Very colourful and very nice messages … tremendous dancers, and the music is beautiful.”

Ms. Marawanky was particularly moved by the opening performance, The Emperor Ushers in a Glorious Age.

It conveyed “the message that there are divine beings that look after us and that have come to Earth and that are here to guide us to better lives,” she said. “It made a good impression. It was very beautiful with all the colourful costumes.”

For Mr. MacDonald, what particularly stood out was the story-based dance depicting the present-day persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. Banned by the Chinese regime in 1999, the meditation and spiritual practice is based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. The dance portrayed the timeless belief that good will be rewarded and evil punished.

“My favourite piece was the one on Falun Gong and the message [of] hope that one day there will be change in China regarding the freedom to practice—very good message,” Mr. MacDonald said.

“I think it’s tremendous,” he added. “I love the folk dancing too, but this classical dancing ... they’re so skilled, very skilled.”

Shen Yun showcases classical Chinese dance, an art form that has been evolving for 5,000 years and is currently enjoying a worldwide renaissance thanks to the New York-based group of mostly ethnic Chinese artists.

With reporting by Michael Wang.

Shen Yun’s Vancouver run ended on Sunday. The show will continue on to play in Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, and Toronto.

  For more information, please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.