MISSISSAUGA, Ontario—Adrianne Pogor had wanted to see Shen Yun Performing Arts for at least “10 or 15 years,” and on March 21 finally had her chance.
“It was so fabulous—the dancers were amazing, the setting was great, I love how they do the
backdrop ... and it’s a lot of great interesting history,“ Ms. Pogor, a broker, said after seeing the performance at the Living Arts Centre. ”I just loved it. It was fabulous.”
New York-based Shen Yun is the world’s top classical Chinese dance company. Through
music and
dance, Shen Yun’s mission is to show audiences the beauty of China before communism.
Ms. Pogor said it was nice to be able to see the culture of China as it once was, despite this traditional culture being suppressed under communism in today’s China.
Ms. Pogor praised the talent of the artists and added that the program included more than dance. Musical solo vignettes also showcased a
soprano virtuoso, whose voice Ms. Pogor felt almost unreal.
“I said to my husband, okay is she really singing? ... she was amazing,” Ms. Pogor said. “It was just so magical.”
Also seeing Shen Yun after a long wait was the Faries family—who drove 15 hours to make the performance in Mississauga.
“We bought our tickets for Christmas and we’re here now. We drove a renter road to get here,” said Kane Faries, a business owner, who saw the performance with his wife and daughter.
Coming from James Bay, Mr. Faries said he is Cree, and he saw in the traditional Chinese culture stories that felt similar to his own.
“The storylines are one that’s getting my interest because it kind of reminds me of our own
legends that we have too as well, in our culture,“ he said. He described stories of star-crossed lovers, heavenly beings, and other myths. ” I enjoyed it a lot. Reminds me of—it’s very similar to ours.”
“It’s been good,” he said. “It’s a big trip for us, and we’re really enjoying the show.”
Reporting by Xinxin Teng, Lisa Ou, and Catherine Yang.
