QUEBEC CITY—Shen Yun Performing Arts sold out at Grand Théâtre de Québec three weeks before its show on Tuesday evening—the renowned classical Chinese dance company’s first time gracing the stage in the provincial capital.
The city warmly welcomed the show, with senior officials among the audience.
Jacques Faguy, land management director of the district of La Cité-Limoilou, City of Quebec, heard about Shen Yun on the radio and knew it would be a special and unique event to see.
“Impressive. It’s also a very colourful and harmonious show, very colourful. And it’s very interesting the integration of modern technology in the backdrop.”
That modern technology is Shen Yun’s digital projection, a vividly animated backdrop that harmonizes with the costumes, dance, and music of each piece, sometimes interacting with the dancers on the stage.
“The sceneries in the back are magnificent, and it’s interesting to see the culture that was there before the communist regime,” Mr. Faguy said.
New York-based Shen Yun was founded on a mission to revive China’s 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture, a culture nearly all but lost after 60 years of communist rule in China.
Mr. Faguy said he was particularly impressed by the prowess and dexterity of the dancers in Mongolian Bowl Dance.
“This show is for the whole family, from the elderly to the children, because it reminds us a bit the traditional dances from around here.”
Guillaume Noël, communications coordinator and speechwriter for the Ministry of Finance and Economy, came to see Shen Yun after a colleague introduced him to the traditions of China and its evolution through the eras.
“I knew nothing about Chinese history, or about classical Chinese dance. I wanted to know more, so I bought the tickets and came here with infinite expectations,” he said during intermission.
“I expected dance, but what kind of dance, costumes, and how all this would be conveyed, I truly didn’t have any expectations, and I am now extremely happy,” he said.
“The costumes are wonderful, full of colours. There are extraordinary movements and I am quite happy with the performance we are being offered today.”
He was particularly captivated by Sand Monk is Blessed, a dance inspired by a story in China’s beloved classical novel Journey to the West.
The dance is among many that highlight interaction between Shen Yun’s dancers and its state-of-the-art digital projection.
“How did they manage to create the interaction between the dancers on stage who went into the backdrop? ... The mix between the two [stage and screen], the transition was very well-done, and this scene really impressed me. I very much appreciated it.”
Reporting by Stephanie Mahe and Maud Bertholet
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. After playing five shows in Montreal Jan. 3-6, Shen Yun’s New York Company will play one show in Quebec City on Jan. 8 before going on to Kitchener-Waterloo, Hamilton, and Toronto in its tour of eastern Canada. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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