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MONTREAL—Mr. Pierquet, a company owner and chemical engineer in the environment sector, attend the Shen Yun Performing Arts show with his wife on Friday night at Montreal’s prestigious Wilfrid-Pelletier Hall in Place des Arts.
The couple had seen the New York-based Shen Yun classical Chinese dance and music production in 2008 and made certain not to miss it this year.
“We were absolutely delighted, and this year is the same thing,” Mr. Pierquet said, speaking in French.
“We were captivated by the beauty of the show, by the colours that are also fascinating because they are not colours that we are used to seeing. It is mild, soft, and it is different. The dancers are absolutely sublime and most of all graceful. What is dominating is the presence of grace.”
Mr. Pierquet was especially impressed by the folk dance titled In a Miao Village, which features the Miao people, one of China’s oldest ethnic groups, who are known for their ornate silver jewellery and headdresses.
“I found it sublime. Such softness, it is of a phenomenal tenderness. So, you see, I’m delighted.”
Being sensitive to music, Mr. Pierquet was surprised by the fusion of classical Chinese and Western instruments used in the original arrangements by the Shen Yun orchestra. “The music is a bit special for us,” he said.
He was impressed with the presentation overall and particularly noted that “the choreography is really very good.”
Mr. Pierquet also enjoyed the special effects such as cloud and mist used in some of the performances.
In Fairies of the Clouds, heavenly maidens dance delicately amidst the clouds. “The young ladies with their gorgeous fans who rise up from out of the fog, this is really well done. This is magical and fascinating,” said Mr. Pierquet.
He gave high praise to the state-of-the-art digital backdrop sceneries that are individually designed to enhance and integrate with the costumes, colours, choreography, and storyline of each dance.
The show “looks like something real, but at the same time magical. … These are tales, so it is a bit in the dreamlike area, and the way dancers are moving, it is also a bit dreamlike.”
“There are things that are absolutely mind-blowing,” Mr. Pierquet said, commending the dancers for their technical skill and their mastery of the demanding movements of classical Chinese dance.
“It seems that gravity has no effect on the dancers. They are dancing, jumping, flying, so this is also magical. Those dance movements are not what I’m used to seeing … so that also amazed me and charmed me. ”
After the four Montreal presentations from Jan. 15 to 17, Shen Yun will play in Hamilton and Toronto. At the end of January, it will head south to several U.S. cities before returning to Canada to perform in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, and Winnipeg.
For more information, please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
