OTTAWA—Nerys Parry likes to tell tales. It’s something she shares with Shen Yun Performing Arts, the classical Chinese dance company that tours the world bringing to life 5,000 years of divinely inspired Chinese culture.
“It was mesmerizing; I’ve never seen anything like it. And the way it can tell a story, it was so beautiful,” said Parry after taking in New York based-Shen Yun’s Canadian debut at the National Arts Centre for its 2012 world tour.
Parry made her own debut this year with a Man and Other Natural Disasters, her first novel about a strange man with a stranger life that the Winnipeg Free Press called “engaging and thoughtful.” Parry’s writing has appeared in various publications as well as on CBC radio.
Parry said she deeply enjoyed Shen Yun’s colourful costumes and how talented and expressive the dancers were. She was also impressed by the aerial moves in many of the dances; leaps, flips, and tumbling that the emcees for that evening’s performance made a point of discussing.
For Parry it was a window into an unexplored world.
“It was all very new, I didn’t know what to expect, but was absolutely stunned. And the talent of the dancers too—wonderful. Beautiful.”
Shen Yun performs a variety of dances from China, though most are classical Chinese dance, a performing tradition passed on largely in China’s imperial courts, dynasty after dynasty.
The company tours the world on a mission to revive the spiritual core of Chinese culture, an essence all but destroyed by 60 years of communist rule.
Parry said she was impressed by how well Chinese dance could tell a story, contemporary or ancient, and cover the full emotional range of the tale.
“I liked how it could do all of the different emotions, from very funny to very sad, or very deep.”
That’s a quality Shen Yun’s website describes as core to classical Chinese dance, an emotive power that dancers carry through their “bearing,” a translation for a Chinese term that also means a particular inner spirit.
“Bearing emphasizes internal spirit, breath, intent, personal aura, and deep emotional expression,” says the website.
Parry said she was leaving that night with a whole new appreciation for Chinese culture and its stories.
“Seeing it in dance really gives a feeling and a sensation to the deep history... from Tibet all the way down to Tiananmen Square. It’s absolutely amazing how big the culture is, how much it has to offer. I’m really excited.”
Reporting by NTD Television and Matthew Little
Shen Yun has three companies touring the world. The Shen Yun Performing Arts International Company will perform at the National Arts Centre from Dec. 19–23. For more information visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
