In ancient China, music’s earliest purpose was for healing. According to Shen Yun’s website, it was believed that music had the power to enrich the mind and harmonize a person’s soul.
Yoana Petkova, a piano teacher and the president of Ensemble Balgari Montreal, felt uplifted after watching Shen Yun’s performance in Montreal and admires the music of Shen Yun.
“I really like the costumes, and the choreography was extraordinary. Everyone on the stage is perfect, I am so jealous of the show, I wish I can participate in a show like this,” Petkova said.
“The music is emotional. I can imagine that all the compositions are specially made for the show. Bravo to the composer, it was really well done,” she added. “Every moment was very well portrayed musically. What we saw on stage with the dancers was very well interpreted by the music. Also, the performances of the singers and pianists were really good. I really liked it.”
“The flexibility of the dancers and the delicate movements was excellent,” Ginette Rodrigue, a former asset management director, said.
For thousands of years, Chinese people were influenced by Buddhism, Taoism, and other divinely-inspired disciplines. They lived by principles such as benevolence and justice, propriety and wisdom, respect for the heavens, and strove to lead moral and virtuous lives. Shen Yun’s mission is to revive these virtues by showcasing different story pieces that reflect these values and touch on spiritual themes.
“I really like the historical aspect of it … all the elements that integrate the divine with elements that incorporate the interaction between the gods and humans. The relation between the past and the divinities that we see at the beginning of the performance show the beginning of China,” photographer Jean Blais said.
“I love the aspect of the Creator. When they talk about the Creator … how beautiful it is. And I think in our society, we take a lot of that for granted,” Torlot added.
The stories presented on stage, however, are not limited to those from the past. According to its website, Shen Yun also portrays in its stories events occurring in modern-day China, such as that related to the persecution of Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa.
“In fact, I also really appreciate the idea that they have shown the situation of communism and Falun Dafa, and what is going on with this in China today. I really like that they succeeded in integrating such content in the show,” Petkova said. “I really like that they are able to show it through dance … They just show the situation and I really like that they did this. It’s important to talk about it. We should not remain silent.”
NTD News, Montreal, Canada
