LMississauga was the last city on Shen Yun Performing Arts’ tour of eastern Canada. The five-show run at the Living Arts Centre left audiences captivated, including representatives of the local arts sector such as dancers, singers, and producers.
Michelle Melanson, VP of production and development at Radical Sheep Productions, who oversees Disney Junior Canada’s award-winning cartoon “Stella and Sam,” said Shen Yun was “colourful, wonderful, magical—really good family fun.”
“It’s spectacular. The costumes are gorgeous, absolutely beautiful,” she said. “The production value is excellent. I think it’s a good family show and it’s a lot of fun. It’s colourful, and it’s cultural, and that’s important.”
The Bristows have made Shen Yun an annual family tradition. Mom Agnes Bristow, who co-wrote “Blizzard,” a 2003 movie starring Christopher Plummer and Whoopi Goldberg, said she thought the costumes and dancing were phenomenal.
“I loved the choreography, it has such a nice, gentle flow to everything.”
Her husband, film director and producer Leif Bristow who has seen Shen Yun every year since 2006, said it was “spectacular.”
“It’s really a magnificent show. It just gives you such a nice sense. I’ve always liked the peaceful feeling of it.”
Mr. Bristow is President and CEO Knightscove Media Corp, which last year released “Sophie,” starring daughter Brittany Bristow. Brittany trained at the National Ballet of Canada and starred in the Family Channel series “Baxter.”
“There’s a beautiful power to the men and women in the troupe. They’re just phenomenal dancers,” she said.
“I just appreciate it so much because I know how much precision it takes, how much practice, and just how difficult it is. I’m a classically trained ballet dancer, but I can’t imagine studying [classical] Chinese dance. It’s remarkable.”
Linda Thomas, executive director of the Mississauga Arts Council, agreed. “It’s an incredible show. It’s all-encompassing, it actually takes in so many different disciplines.”
“It’s deep. If you take the time to really watch and take in what’s being presented, there’s very much a spiritual aspect around it and that’s really a nice thought to share.”
Soprano and vocal teacher Adria McCulloch said she “absolutely loved it.”
“I was just blown away from the moment the curtain rose. The costumes are just breathtaking, the dancing is just phenomenal, and the singing and the music was just so beautiful. It was really, really emotionally moving.”
Another signer, internationally celebrated soprano Lilac Caña, was also deeply moved by Shen Yun.
“I cried sometimes because it’s so beautiful,” she said. “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.”
“It’s just beautiful, gorgeous. I’m very inspired.”
‘Absolutely first class’
Business executives also had high praise for the performance. Blake Butler, VP of Commercial Banking at RBC, said Shen Yun was “wonderful, very artistic, beautiful dancing, and the orchestra is amazing.”
“I would say it’s absolutely first class, a first-class production, very, very beautiful and entertaining,” he said.
“It’s beautiful and really artistic. The dancers are really well choreographed and the costumes are beautiful,” said Tom Weber, chief financial officer with CML HealthCare.
Olivier Felicio, president of Rive Gauche Media and publisher and editor-in chief of The Canadian Jeweller Magazine and Viva Magazine, said the show was “fantastic.”
“The feeling of peace, the feeling of community, the feeling of humanity, the feeling of creation, that’s how I felt about it,” he said.
“There’s a lot of answers to human behaviour that you can find through [China’s] 5,000 years of history, and I felt that as well.”
Terry Lankstead, editor of GoodLife magazine, described the performance as “majestic.”
“That would be the word, majestic, that one word encompasses all,” he said. “It was sheer entertainment.”
With files from NTD Television
Based in New York, Shen Yun tours the world on a mission to revive traditional Chinese culture and stages performances of mainly classical Chinese dance.
For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
