Shen Yun graced the stage of the Four Seasons Centre in Toronto Canada on Jan. 3. Canadian Opera Company Director Alexander Neef thought it was just delightful.
“They’re very, very accomplished. This is a wonderful learning experience, and I enjoyed it a lot. I think it’s extremely well done.”
Taking a class on a culture is one thing, but taking in a performance which has the very purpose of sharing the essence of its culture is quite another.
“I think we’re never quite aware of how old the [Chinese] culture is—5,000 years. My business is opera. Opera is 400 years old. So it’s truly unbelievable. I think tradition is a good thing, something to build on. I think that’s a very, very important takeaway.”
Shen Yun’s dances tell stories, beginning with legends and leading up to the present day. Accompanying the Shen Yun dancers is a Western orchestra that incorporates several traditional Chinese instruments.
“[On the sound and music of Shen Yun,] I believe this is one of the very, very best acoustical theatres in the world. I think sound is very important because it really reaches the audience and it creates a strong emotion that’s conveyed by the performance. The natural acoustics that we have here do that like almost no other opera house in the world. It’s wonderful to have Shen Yun in the building and really help us elevate the level of what has performed here. So I would always recommend this relationship.”
NTD News, Toronto, Canada
