However, on Monday, April 6, Shen Yun Performing Arts drew an enthusiastic audience to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre for its popular show portraying Chinese traditional culture.
Don Davies, New Democratic representative for Vancouver Kingsway, brought his young daughter to experience the sights, sounds and mystery of ancient China.
“I thought it was a world-class performance. The music was unbelievable, the dancing is just spectacular and the choreography, with the scenery and the staging, it’s just among the best I’ve ever seen,” he said.
As the NDP multiculturalism critic, Mr. Davies is committed to cross-cultural sharing and dialogue to foster community and preserve valuable culture and traditions.
“I thought it was very illuminating for us in the West to be able to learn more about ancient and traditional Chinese mythology and stories. I’m particularly interested in making sure that all the cultures of Canada can come together and share with each other their best traditions. What I saw tonight is one of the best examples of that that I’ve ever seen,” he said.
Mr. Florian, who owns three Toronto-based businesses specializing in education for overseas students, was impressed with Shen Yun and its portrayal of traditional Chinese culture.
“It’s a terrific exposure to the Chinese culture. “It is an amazing performance that shows the many different cultures that China is. There are many languages and cultures within China and this comes out in the show, which I think is terrific,” he said.
Mr. Esaw said his favourite performance was Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution, a dance that shows the father of a young girl being persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party for his belief in the traditional spiritual practice of Falun Dafa.
“I was really moved by the one that had a spiritual theme. You can also see Christian parallels. That was impressive. I am sure some of this would be frowned upon in mainland China. I sort of expected a long story between good and evil but they were short vignettes, colourful and beautiful,” he said.
Shen Yun Performing Arts will present four more shows in Vancouver before going on to Calgary, Edmonton, and Regina.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Shen Yun Performing Arts 2009 World Tour. For more information please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org