HAMILTON, Canada—The brilliant colours of Shen Yun Performing Arts were the first thing that fine artist Susan Outlaw remarked about after seeing the acclaimed classical Chinese dance production at Hamilton Place Theatre on Sunday afternoon.
“Absolutely beautiful, the colours are vibrant and very eye-catching,” said Ms. Outlaw, who works mainly oil but some acrylics as well.
A painter who enjoys seeking out environments and subjects that exude simplicity, peace, and beauty, her artwork can be found in both corporate and private collections across Canada and England.
“I see there’s a lot of orange in the show. It’s just very warm and happy. It really blends well with the dances. It’s just gorgeous overall,” Ms. Outlaw added.
New York-based Shen Yun offers a visual feast of stunning colours in harmonious balance and contrast in its presentations of classical Chinese dance and music, whether it is in the costumes and accessories, or the backdrops and props.
With a mission of reviving China’s 5,000-year-old divinely inspired culture, the company tours the globe each year with an all-new program of dances, songs, and musical scores that takes the audience across the vast regions, multiple ethnicities, and long history of the Middle Kingdom.
Each program consists of a collection of short pieces that tell the stories of China, from the legends of the culture’s creation to tales of inspiration from the modern day.
For Ms. Outlaw, the Mongolian Bowl Dance stood out, in which Mongolian women balance bowls on their heads in a dance of welcome, strong and steady yet gentle and relaxed, with their signature shoulder shake..
“I thought that was quite incredible. The balance and the colours there, the pinks and the vibrancy of the combination of the dance and the colour—it’s quite beautiful,” Ms. Outlaw said.
“It’s a lot of fun too,” she added.
With reporting by NTD Television and Cindy Chan
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. Shen Yun’s New York Company performed three shows in Hamilton from Jan. 12-13 and is now heading to Toronto for five shows from Jan. 17-20, completing its tour of eastern Canada. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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