EDMONTON, Canada—On April 19, company director Kevil Williams brought his wife Aretta, a homemaker, and their three children to attend Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. The family thoroughly enjoyed their evening.
“Stunning. The colors, the dancing, the shows—absolutely wonderful. I would come again anytime,” Mrs. Williams exclaimed. “What a beautiful way to see the culture, experience the culture, and to see the rich history of China.”
This season marked Shen Yun’s 19th anniversary. Each year, the artists present a brand-new set of choreography and musical compositions, ensuring that both new and returning audience members are always in for a surprise.
Mr. Williams, too, thought Shen Yun was “incredibly creative, just beautiful. It was amazing.”
He appreciated that the artists are “trying to highlight the culture that’s been suppressed in modern times.”
Mrs. Williams was deeply moved by the spiritual element of the performance. She appreciated how it was woven into the dancing and found it “interesting how similar it is, in a way, to religions here in the West.”
“Everyone in their own way has a spiritual belief and a connection to heaven and a god in their own way, and I do love the way it’s portrayed in art,” she added.
The message Mr. Williams is bringing home with him from Shen Yun would be China’s “beautiful, rich history, and the importance of it to the people that are there.”
“They don’t want the message and the story to be lost, and they hope for the return home. That’s what I take from it.”
Though the company is well-beloved by audiences around the world, it is currently forbidden by the ruling Chinese regime from performing in China.
“I would love to meet them. I think their skills, their dance, their essence, their beauty, everything— they shine through in their performance. You can really see and feel it,” she expressed.
“I love the fact that they seem like they appreciate the art of their storytelling. One day, I do hope to meet them.”
