VANCOUVER, Canada—Celebrated mentor and Canadian business leader Carollyne Conlinn is used to captivating both her students and clients.
But it was her turn to be transfixed on Saturday, as she took in the evening Shen Yun Performing Arts production at Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
“It’s beautiful,” she said after seeing the show.
“The colours, the backdrops, the stories—I really like the way each piece is introduced, and then the dancing itself is precise and beautiful. The costumes really enhance the movement and the whole effect is magical.”
Ms. Conlinn is one of Canada’s most trained and experienced business coaches and has co-founded three coaching companies during her 30-year career.
She is known for her inspirational consulting, teaching coaching skills to managers and other business leaders across Canada.
She was awarded Canadian Coach of the Year in 2009, and her accomplishments have also netted her an annual listing in the “Who’s Who in Canadian Business” since 1995.
In addition, Ms. Conlinn is a professor of coaching at Royal Roads University in Victoria, and has two Masters Degrees under her belt.
She attended Shen Yun with her husband, Kurtis Conlinn, who got tickets for her as a gift.
“It’s just wonderful,” said Mr. Conlinn.
“I’m so glad that [Shen Yun] was recommended to me and I’m really glad I bought the tickets and came. I think my wife is very happy I did that.”
New York-based Shen Yun is a world-renowned classical Chinese dance company, which aims to revive 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture.
Ms. Conlinn said the show gave her a deeper understanding of traditional Chinese culture.
“It’s kind of a tour through Chinese history so it helps me to understand a little bit about the culture,” she said.
In addition to her business achievements, Ms. Conlinn is also an accomplished accapella chorus group singer. She said her musical experience gave her an appreciation for Shen Yun’s opera soloists and orchestra, which blends both Eastern and Western instruments.
“I was very touched by the music, by the singing as well. … I loved the soloists, they were wonderful,” she said.
Mr. Conlin was delighted with the show’s trademark digital, moving backdrops, which display vivid landscapes and scenes to bring each story-based dance to life.
“I just love the backdrops—the fantastical visions they are. It’s just wonderful,” he said.
Reporting by Qiu Chen and Justina Wheale
Shen Yun’s New York Company will perform one more show in Vancouver before leaving Canada. The production will return in April to perform in Calgary, Edmonton, and Regina.
For more information visit www.ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
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