MONTREAL—The ancient Chinese believed that to create true art, an artist must have inner beauty and purity. Thus, artists of all disciplines would work hard not only on improving their skills, but also on improving their moral character.
Seeing the artistry of the Shen Yun Performing Arts dancers, Montreal-based actress Eryka Cantieri couldn’t help but say, “They have very pure hearts.”
Ms. Cantieri who attended Thursday’s opening night at Place des Arts, also saw this reflected in the smiles of the performers.
“I think they all have a smile on their face,” she said. “One can tell they love their art.”
Ms. Cantieri is a multi-talented artist whose career has spanned several artistic domains; she has been an actress, model, comedian, spokesperson, and cultural columnist.
She has also worked as an artistic director and is a member of the Artists Union (UDA) and a coordinator of projects and staging at the Quebecois Alliance of Technicians of Image and Sound.
Amidst today’s experimental art scene, Ms. Cantieri said she found Shen Yun’s traditional approach to be refreshing.
“I love rediscovering the roots, the folk arts, basically the origins of the country that have been somewhat erased by time,” she said.
Chinese culture, in particular, was consciously damaged in the 1960s and 1970s, when the communist regime encouraged the large-scale destruction of traditional objects and value systems. New-York based, Shen Yun has set out to revive this traditional culture and its deeply spiritual values.
“It’s good to see it again and also to see that so many people come to appreciate it here in Montreal,” she said.
Reporting by Mathieu Cote-Desjardins and Madalina Hubert.
Shen Yun Performing Arts has three equally large companies touring the world simultaneously. The International Company will stage four more performances in Montreal until Jan. 8.
For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
