SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Artist Uplifted by Beauty and Old-World Values in Shen Yun

Feb 04, 2023

MONTREAL, Canada—Danniel Oickle, an artist, felt an experience of being uplifted as he watched Shen Yun Performing Arts on the afternoon of Feb. 4.

“The overall feeling is one of being sort of uplifted. And it’s lovely—the colors are beautiful, the dancers are spectacular,” said Mr. Oickle, who attended the matinee at the Place des Arts in Montreal in a party of four.

“It’s spectacular,” he said.

New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s top classical Chinese dance company. Its performances showcase classical Chinese dance in its purest form, using it to tell stories from history and transport audiences back through various dynasties.

Mr. Oickle, who danced classical ballet himself until he incurred an injury, conveyed his admiration for the dancers. He enjoyed the expressivity and how the costumes were incorporated into the movements.

“It’s so graceful, so fluid,” he said. “Just really elegant.”

He found some values noteworthy while watching the story-based dances.

“It was a lot of community,” he said. “Either it was the family versus the invading army, or you had just the dancers dancing together as a sort of harmonious collection. I think that was the feeling for me.”

He also noted the themes of protection, and loyalty, which he felt was a lost value in today’s world.

“They trust,” he said, explaining the plot of one of the stories. “Loyalty: I trust you, you’re loyal, and I’m loyal back to you, like it wasn’t just like a one-way loyal.”

He felt it was a good message.

Reporting by Donna He.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.