QUEBEC CITY, Canada—Business owner Jo Ocbena brought her family to attend Shen Yun’s last evening performance at the Quebec Grand Theatre on April 24. Originally from the Philippines, Mrs. Ocbena was very happy to see a traditional culture that is reminiscent of her hometown.
“Since we were born in the Philippines, we do have a lot of Chinese traditions and influences. We grew up and were friends with many of them,” she said.
Now the world’s top classical Chinese dance and music company, Shen Yun has grown to include eight equally sized companies that perform simultaneously in packed venues around the world.
Mrs. Ocbena was especially impressed by Shen Yun’s innovative backdrop that seamlessly blended the live action on the stage with its patented 3D animation technology.
Her daughter Audille, too, thought it was “a pleasant surprise.”
“We didn’t know about it beforehand. My family came here to watch the beauty and the precision of the dances. We’re here to appreciate the beauty of the technique, the athleticism, the music, and the visuals. It was awesome,” she said.
Coming from a spiritual family, the mother-and-daughter duo loved the lyrics of Shen Yun’s singer, which emphasized faith and traditional values.
“Even as a Filipino-Canadian Catholic, I could still relate to their message of faith, hope, forbearance, truth, beauty, and goodness as a fellow human.”Referring to Shen Yun’s story-based dance that brought attention to the Chinese communist regime’s persecution of the people of faith in modern-day Chinese society, Mrs. Ocbena said she admires the performers.
“We admire them for standing up for what they believe in and using beauty and the arts to spread their faith. We might not have the same faith, but we do relate a lot to their courage,” she said.
“[Shen Yun’s] message is very important because it’s about going back to truth and tradition and how we shouldn’t be corrupt in this modern time. I do appreciate that the young ones are [preserving traditions] because they’re the ones who will be giving hope to the next generation. They will pass it on.”
“You see in the news that there is brutality behind [communism.] They force you to be equal, and that’s not what the Creator wants us to be like in the first place,” she said.
“[Shen Yun] definitely gave us perseverance and hope that we’re not alone in this fight against worldly desires, temptations, and persecutions. We could only do so much, but even with that little flower of hope, we could share it—even with our enemy—because they’re still capable of love.”
