B.C. theatre-goers will be delighted to learn that the globally acclaimed Shen Yun Performing Arts is returning to Vancouver once again with an all-new program, playing six shows at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre April 9–13, 2025.
There will be two weekday matinee performances, which is good news for seniors who live on the Sunshine Coast or Vancouver Island because they can get the ferry discount. Return shuttle service is available from the Tsawwassen and Horseshoe Bay ferry terminals for both matinee shows.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts was founded in 2006 by a group of leading Chinese dancers, choreographers, and musicians in the United States who set about reviving the authentic artistic traditions of China’s rich culture and history and bringing it to audiences around the world.
Shen Yun brings China’s 5,000-year-old history to life through live orchestral music and dance in a performance like no other, bringing audiences the beauty of China before the Communist Party took power in 1949—an event that resulted in the destruction of much of the country’s age-old traditions and spiritual heritage through campaigns like the Cultural Revolution.
At the heart of the performance is classical Chinese dance, an ancient art form that was enriched and refined down through the dynasties to become one of the world’s most comprehensive dance systems. The show also includes traditional ethnic and folk dances.
Enhancing the dances are the colourful costumes, which are true to traditional aesthetics and styles. Their vibrant hues and exquisite detail breathe fresh life into every dance piece, painting the present with the splendour of the past. Shen Yun’s costumes bring back the styles of China’s different dynasties, regions, and ethnic groups.
Another highlight is the live “East-West” orchestra—the first in the world to permanently combine classical Western and Eastern instruments.
One of the most unique features of Shen Yun is its immersive animated backdrops which extend the stage, transporting audiences to another place and time. This digital projection creates seamless interaction between projection and the performers onstage, allowing storytelling without limits.
Shen Yun’s solo singers, accompanied by piano, are distinguished by the unparalleled ability to sing Chinese text using the traditional bel canto technique.
‘It’s Perfection’
From December 2023 to May 2024, Shen Yun’s eight companies travelled across five continents to deliver the beauty of traditional Chinese culture worldwide. The artists gave more than 800 performances in more than 200 cities, achieving a new record.
Shen Yun’s 2024 tour of Canada drew many appreciative comments from audience members.
Leagh Barkley, a wine sommelier, saw Shen Yun for the first time at its March 24 matinee performance at Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre and thought the experience was “absolutely spectacular.”
“I love the wide range of styles. We were able to see and experience Chinese traditional dance through whimsical and playful scenes as well as very serious themes too,” he said.
Mr. Barkley loved the orchestra and the traditional Chinese melodies that accompanied the dances.
“The sound coming from the orchestra pit really resonates with us in the audience,” he said. “It brings a whole new level of meaning to the performance.”
Philip Lieberman, a member of the board of directors of the National Ballet of Canada, attended the performance at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto on April 6.
“The message that Shen Yun is bringing to the world is [one] of inclusiveness, of something bigger, that brings us all together. We need that now,” he said.
Company vice president Jacques Dussault and his wife, Isabelle Sansoucy, saw the show at Théâtre Maisonneuve at Place des Arts in Montreal on April 21.
“It was wonderful. It was ethereal. The dancers, the choreography, the music—it was very, very beautiful. The dancing was magnificent,” Ms. Sansoucy said.
“It’s perfection.”
After seeing the show at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary on March 29, Rani Tewari was thoroughly smitten.
“Not only is it a magical show but it gives me peace, serenity, and calm. It’s out of this world. The whole show is so magical. It’s like food for the soul, the mind, and the body because it just elevates me to a different level,” she said.
Shen Yun will play six shows at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver from April 9–13, 2025.
Round-trip shuttle service is available for matinee shows from Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal, Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal, Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Langley, and White Rock. For more information on the shuttle service and to buy tickets, please visit https://www.shenyun.com/vancouver
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