VANCOUVER, Canada—Amy Chang brought her daughter Riley to see Shen Yun Performing Arts on Saturday afternoon, not just to enjoy the colourful dance but to educate the young aspiring dancer on her own cultural heritage.
The duo attended the Jan. 12 matinee performance at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver. Ms. Chang, originally from China, was thrilled with the traditional Chinese culture expressed in Shen Yun.
“It was very good,” she said. “It depicted many of the traditional dances and the classical numbers and told many stories. It was really educational for [Riley].”
“I thought it was incredible because it was awesome,” said Riley, who is learning Chinese dance.
New York-based Shen Yun is a world-renowned classical Chinese dance and music company, currently performing a run of five shows in Vancouver.
The company was formed in 2006 by overseas Chinese artists who had a wish to revive 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture, through the performing arts.
“It’s very important to maintain the culture, even if you’ve left the original country to move to another country—to have the next generation at least hold on to some of its roots,” said Ms. Chang.
Riley said she loved the story-based dances in Shen Yun, which are inspired by legends that span China’s 5,000-year-old culture.
“I liked all the fairy tales,” she said, adding the dancers were “awesome” and she hoped to dance as well as them some day.
Ms. Chang said Shen Yun effectively portrayed the traditional culture because it told stories from ancient Chinese legends right up to today.
“They were very traditional and classical with some of the numbers, but they had very broad range of performances and stories to share with people, and introduce to people,” said Ms. Chang.
Reporting by Ryan Moffatt and Justina Wheale.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has three companies that perform simultaneously around the world. Shen Yun’s Touring Company will play five shows in Vancouver Jan. 10-13, while the New York Company will complete its tour of eastern Canada with five shows in Toronto Jan. 17–20. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
The Epoch Times publishes in 35 countries and in 20 languages. Subscribe to our e-newsletter.
