‘Exquisitely Beautiful’ Shen Yun Returns to Canada in 2018

‘Exquisitely Beautiful’ Shen Yun Returns to Canada in 2018
Shen Yun dancers perform “Flower Fairies.” (Shen Yun Performing Arts)
Joan Delaney
9/26/2017
Updated:
9/26/2017

The show that actress Cate Blanchett called “exquisitely beautiful” will return to Canada in 2018 with an all-new production. Shen Yun Performing Arts’s tour will start in Ottawa in late December and go on to play in several venues in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia.

Like every year, the group will play in numerous cities on four continents, bringing the wonders of China’s ancient, traditional culture to tens of thousands around the world.

Ms. Blanchett is not the only one impressed with Shen Yun—audience feedback collected by The Epoch Times shows that theatregoers find something very special in the performance that leaves them uplifted and inspired.

“My heart was open and I started to cry. The spirit of hope, beauty, and blessing … it’s a fabulous gift to us,” said Sine Mckenna, an award-winning Celtic singer from Ontario.

Lucas Medlam, a composer, violinist, and pianist from Vienna, said he had heard much about Shen Yun and wanted to see it but was out of town every year when it played in his city. However, he finally got the chance to go in 2016.

“I was captivated,” he said. “The connection between what is shown on stage and the music is fantastic... I was touched throughout the show and can only say that I experienced something magnificent.”

Shen Yun refers to China’s authentic culture as “the divine culture,” meaning the ancients believed that the divine, through various dynasties, transmitted a rich and abundant culture to the Chinese people.

“Chinese culture is thus known as ‘divinely inspired,’ and is the only culture in the world to have a continuous recorded history of 5,000 years. It has left behind countless literary classics, historical documents, cultural relics, and national records reflecting its immense scope,” the group’s website says.
A scene from the Shen Yun story-dance “The Loyalty of Yue Fei.” (Shen Yun Performing Arts)
A scene from the Shen Yun story-dance “The Loyalty of Yue Fei.” (Shen Yun Performing Arts)
A non-profit based in New York, Shen Yun has five companies that take part in the annual international tour, having grown from one in just 10 years. Its success may be due to the fact that among its artists are highly trained performers in dance, singing, and music. The performance features elaborate costumes in a mind-boggling array of colours, state-of-the-art dynamic backdrops, and a live orchestra that incorporates both Chinese and Western instruments—something new in the world of classical music.

Tsai Ming-chu, a musician and internationally famous violin maker from Taiwan, said he “really admires” the Shen Yun Orchestra’s music.

“From the conductor to the players, all of them are top-notch musicians,” he said.

“Shen Yun’s music is a blend of traditional Chinese music and Western music, and it has profound and interesting significance. The music touches the human soul through the aesthetics of sound. … The artistic director must have devoted himself tremendously to the performance.”

Canadian show dates: Ottawa, Dec. 28–30; Toronto, Jan. 3–7; Montreal, Jan. 11–14; Quebec City, Jan. 16–17; Mississauga, Jan. 19–23; Hamilton, Jan. 26; Kitchener-Waterloo, Jan. 27–28; Vancouver, March 23–25. Ticket information: www.shenyunperformingarts.org/tickets
Joan Delaney is Senior Editor of the Canadian edition of The Epoch Times based in Toronto. She has been with The Epoch Times in various roles since 2004.
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