OTTAWA, Canada—It is a great blessing for the City of Ottawa to be one of the cities welcoming Shen Yun Performing Arts as part of the renowned classical Chinese dance company’s 2014 global tour, said Dr. C.K. Liu, Representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Canada.
Dr. Liu and Mrs. Liu were among the enthusiastic audience at New York-based Shen Yun’s full-house presentation at the National Arts Centre on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 4.
After seeing the show, Dr. Liu praised it as being a superb artistic achievement.
“Whether it is from the perspective of costumes, choreography, or performance, it can be said to be perfect, superb,” he said.
Shen Yun was founded in 2006 by a group of leading classical Chinese artists who wished to revive the true traditional culture of China that has been all but lost following decades of communist rule.
It is a culture nourished by principles such as compassion and justice, propriety and wisdom, respect for the heavens, and divine retribution, as explained on the Shen Yun website.
Originating from Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism, these virtues and ideals are the essence of the ancient culture, and indeed the aspect that was most moving for Dr. Liu, he said, was these important themes that the show brought to life for its viewers.
“It conveys tolerance, peacefulness, harmony, goodness and kindness,” Dr. Liu said.
“At the same time, the show takes the opportunity to very effectively help Western audience members understand our Chinese culture and our history, society, and legends, etc.,” he added.
Through classical Chinese dance and music, rounded out by ethnic and folk dances that pay tribute to the vast Middle Kingdom’s many diverse regions and ethnicities, Shen Yun takes the audience on a journey through the dynasties across 5,000 years of Chinese culture.
Rich in wondrous myths and legends along with modern heroic tales, the production is presented by foremost classically trained dancers, a grand orchestra that combines the great traditions of Eastern and Western music, and state-of-the-art animated backdrops that transport viewers to spectacular landscapes and heavenly realms.
Dr. Liu expressed heartfelt appreciation for the efforts of the artists of Shen Yun.
“During this extremely cold winter, Shen Yun’s performers brought us a very enjoyable weekend [with a performance] that warms the heart and delights the eye,” Dr. Liu said.
“I think it is very much a great blessing for us here.”
Reporting by Dai Sihui and Cindy Chan
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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.
