MONTREAL—Music teacher Victoria Rusu loved every aspect of Shen Yun Performing Arts after attending its evening show at the Place Des Arts on April 9.
“I really enjoyed the colors, costumes, the music, the variety, the hosts, the mission of Shen Yun to bring back traditions,” she said.
“What I noticed are the values—people need hope, goodness—[Shen Yun] is not only dancing, those values have an importance for everyone.”
As one of the oldest civilizations in the world, China’s 5,000 years of history is filled with breathtaking legends and rich traditions. Yet, within just a few decades of the Chinese communists’ rise to power, this magnificent culture was almost completely destroyed.
Ms. Rusu is very impressed by the artists’ mission.
“I talked with my husband and we said this is not a simple show, it is really a call to stop running all over from left to right, to stop and understand people around us,” she said. “To help them appreciate beauty, appreciate goodness, appreciate music, all of that is good, all that is beautiful. It is fantastic.”
Using classical Western orchestration as the foundation, Shen Yun’s original compositions highlight traditional Chinese instruments such as the two-stringed erhu and the pipa—an ancient Chinese lute. Bringing to its audience the best of both worlds.
“The artists are perfect. ... I would recommend everyone to see [Shen Yun]—everyone deserves to see it, to appreciate and share it,” she said.
Reflecting on the spiritual element of the performance, Ms. Rusu said she would like to learn more.
Shen Yun conveys “a belief that us as humans [have a] kind of divinity and the possibility to be on earth. We have the possibility to improve ourselves, to correct ourselves, and to go back to heavens, that’s my takeaway,” she stated.
“I had a wonderful evening. I felt well comforted, it is very motivating, encouraging. For example, tomorrow morning, seeing my children, my students [I’ll] tell them about what I saw tonight and to share bit about the culture and a lot of hope,” she said.
