MONTREAL—Even though Anthony Faby saw Shen Yun Performing Arts three years ago in Paris and knew of its beauty and depth, he was blown away by the performance he attended on Saturday afternoon at Place des Arts in Montreal.
“It is both touching and moving. I really broke out, burst out, in a spiritual sense. This is a new birth,” he said.
“Visually, it’s amazing. It’s full of colour and joy in every sense. Even when there are darker passages, one knew that there is a return of colour coming up. It was like being in a 3-D cinema and capturing even more intensity. This is truly a magical sight. The fact that there is a connection between heaven and earth [shows] its magnitude.”
Mr. Faby, a producer with Electronic Arts, a video game company, said the performance helped him forget the stresses of daily life.
“In my profession, it is often in speed, stress, it does not give time to step back. This show just gives ways to step back and to have [time],” he said.
“It allows you to reflect on yourself, on the important things in life and on things that aren’t. For example we tend to focus on the small problems of everyday life, including household tasks that can be frustrating. This performance shows us that the small and big problems—always face them with a smile, keep hope alive. We know that if we give kindness, we will surely get it back in return.”
As a producer with Electronic Arts, Mr. Faby is responsible for a portfolio of games, which includes monitoring and improving their quality, and working with the development director and development teams to have games adapted to the various platforms.
He is also a partner at YuMe Games and was previously a production manager at Game Life.
Shen Yun’s Mission
New York-based Shen Yun aims to revive traditional Chinese culture through the performing arts. Much of China’s traditional art forms have been destroyed under the Chinese Communist Party’s oppression and movements such as the Cultural Revolution.
The dance company travels the world with an all-new program of classical Chinese dance and music every year, showcasing a collection of performance pieces inspired by ancient myths and legends as well as a few pieces that depict the persecution of adherents of Falun Dafa, a meditation practice whose principles are rooted in Chinese culture.
“One is really carried away by the show, both visually but also when you listen to the songs that are involved. I was really moved. One leaves having grown spiritually. You come out happy, even if we resort to some rather sad moments, because there are tough moments. It feels and understands the issues that practitioners of Falun Dafa may have,” he said.
“In fact, when it talks about Falun Dafa, I think it’s interesting. To see that this show is also used to convey a message of the fact that there are people who are oppressed in a country which is nevertheless a great power today, and the people who are oppressed just want to practice their spiritual meditation—[it] is a shame. And here it’s a highlight for me.”
Backdrops and Colours
Mr. Faby was also struck by Shen Yun’s animated backdrops that augment what’s being played out onstage.
“It is really excellent,” he said. “It just gives an even more magical side. It’s already quite a magical sight, even if there were no animated screen, it would already be magical. But here, the fact that it is a kind of connection between the world of the sky and the scene, which is a little like Earth, it was really interesting. So it really takes its full extent, the Gods are really connected.”
“It’s a bit like having a 3-D screen since in fact it was really behind that screen where things happen. … There were the gods who appear before us, the dragons who transform into character. It’s really magical. Again, it gives relief to the whole scene. It’s really great.”
The wide variety of vibrant colours in the costumes and backdrops also drew praise.
“The colours—it’s full of colours in every sense. And precisely this also in part a little bit of the wonder of the show—it’s full of colours, full of merriment. And even when there are some dark passages, in fact, in the end we see that everything becomes full of colour upon arrival. That is, you come out of it with a smile.”
Each of Shen Yun’s three companies has its own live orchestra.
“The orchestra was great,” Mr. Faby said. “What was really interesting is the mix of Western and Asian instruments, it’s a mixture really … interesting to listen to in any case. Again, it was successful.”
He added that the performance “covers the whole of Chinese culture, generally in an extensive manner.”
“The show is really great and I recommend it to everyone. This is not to be missed.”
Reporting by Christine Ni and Joan Delaney
The Shen Yun International Company will be in Montreal until Jan. 8 and then continue on to Kitchener,
For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
