TORONTO, Canada—Inspired by the “transformative” and “dynamic” performance, Michelle Doran, painter and poet, said Shen Yun Performing Arts was “in touch with the past on a wave to the future.”
Mrs. Doran attended the production at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts on April 1.
“I cried from joy,” she said. “I just find beauty touching when it comes from the heart. And it’s a transcendent beauty.”
“There was newness and freshness but still something ancient, and that was a beautiful mix.”
She said the experience of true art happens “when you feel the connection inside, and you feel it in your body and in your heart and in your mind at the same time.”“I felt electric,” she said, “I had goosebumps at the back of my neck and I cried because it was so beautiful.”
“I think we’ve gotten far away from our hearts, and the show was full of heart,” she added.
“It was uplifting [and] hopeful,” Mrs. Doran said. “They’re authentic in what they’re pursuing and what they’re trying to [do] … genuine.”
Mrs. Doran appreciated the purity of the performance and “seeing the human body elevated in a way that’s not sexualized.”
‘A Memorable Evening’
Andres Galindo Areaga, composer and musician, also attended the Shen Yun performance at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts on April 1.
“The music was very dynamic,” he said, “All the different dances and choreographies were well crafted and timed.”
Mr. Areaga was both “impressed” and “shocked” by the erhu player, which he said was one of his favorite highlights of the performance, as well as the interaction of the music and choreography to the background projection.
Shen Yun utilizes a cutting-edge patented digital backdrop that allows audiences to see beyond the stage, allowing the performers to magically travel back and forth between the stage and the background projection.
“I’ve never seen something like that in a presentation … how it interacted in time with what was happening in the background—totally impressed by it,” he said.
To the Shen Yun conductor, Mr. Areaga said, “Thank you for making a memorable evening!”