MISSISSAUGA, Canada—Internationally celebrated soprano Lilac Caña has inspired audiences worldwide, but it was her turn to feel the glow of inspiration when she attended Shen Yun Performing Arts at Mississauga’s Living Arts Centre.
Ms. Caña described how deeply moved she was by her experience of Shen Yun after the Thursday evening performance.
“I cried sometimes because it’s so beautiful,” she said.
“Beautiful, wonderful! Everyone was very expressive in every gesture, every word, and every song.”
Ms. Caña is known for her soul-stirring operatic and musical theatre performances. She has performed with the Canadian Opera Company Chorus and in lead roles with many other companies in Canada, the United States, Europe, and the Philippines.
She’s graced the stage of the Living Arts Centre herself and has also recorded and produced multiple albums and helped raise funds for several charities.
In October 2009, Ms. Caña received the National Ethnic Press & Media Council of Canada’s Performing Arts-Humanities award in recognition of her contributions to the arts and community as a musician in Canada.
Ms. Caña said the soprano and tenor performances in Shen Yun were deeply touching.
“These are original compositions, and the message of the songs is beautiful,” she said.
“The message is very spiritual, very uplifting, and reminds us that our true home is heaven. It inspires me so much, it was wonderful.”
As a professional performer, Ms. Caña said true art can only communicate with the audience if it comes from a deep passion and sincerity.
“Whether you are a singer, or a dancer, or painter, you have to master your art first as much as possible, then you share that ... because you love it, you want to share it.”
She said it was obvious the Shen Yun artists had mastered their craft.
“I see they are very passionate and very focused. The dancers—in their discipline, in their body—they put everything in their art. Very committed and high standards,” she said.
“All the expressions [were] very direct, very passionate, and true, from the heart. It was wonderful.”
New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company. With three companies simultaneously travelling the world, their mission is to revive 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture.
Classical Chinese dance is one of the most demanding and technically difficult art forms in the world, and it is also extremely expressive.
Ms. Caña was delighted with how the stories, dances, costumes, music, and set production, came together to communicate a broad range of ideas and emotions.
“I cried but I also I laughed ... some of the [stories] were very funny and very charming. The set and the colours were so beautifully executed. Everything is perfect together,” she said. “It makes us also realize every moment is precious.”
Ms. Caña said the performers were able to express profound ideas through their art that could spiritually inspire the audience.
“[The message is] that we return to the path of truth, and to dispel the delusion. Because there’s many messages that bombard us, and we just have to remember what’s the truth, and not to be afraid of expressing our true nature, which is divine. The arts bring us closer to that,” she said.
She was also captivated by the aesthetic pleasure of the show’s overall design. According to the Shen Yun website, the colours in the production have been specifically chosen to stress harmonic balance and contrast.
“Just a feast for the eyes, the choreography, the mise-en-scène, the shaping of where the bodies are on stage ... very beautiful, excellent,” she said.
“The levels and the depth, the coordination of the scenery and the costumes, beautiful colours.”
Ms. Caña said she often enjoys the performing arts but didn’t know what to expect when her parents invited her to the show. She was thrilled that she could come.
“More people need to see this. I wish we had more [shows] in Canada ... it’s really excellent,” she said.
“It’s just beautiful, gorgeous. I’m very inspired.”
Reporting by NTD Television and Justina Wheale
The Shen Yun International Company will stage four more shows in Mississauga’s Living Arts Centre, finishing on Sunday.
For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
