(Minghui.org) On the eve of the new year, Shen Yun Performing Arts was welcomed back with curtain calls and standing ovations during performances given December 26 – 30, 2018. The world-renowned company brought its brand new 2019 program to multiple North American cities: New Orleans, Louisiana; Chicago, Illinois; San Antonio and Houston, Texas; San Jose, California; and Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Shen Yun receives a standing ovation at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Canada, on December 29, 2018. The Shen Yun Touring Company performed four sold-out shows December 27–29, 2018.

Curtain call by the Shen Yun New York Company at the Center for the Performing Arts in San Jose, California, on December 28, 2018. The company performed to 11 sold-out shows during its two-week stay, December 19–29, 2018.

The Shen Yun North America Company at the Jones Hall for the Performing Arts in Houston, Texas, on the afternoon of December 29, 2018

“Divine Coming Through”

Stan Burhan, Chief Financial Officer at Pharmacopeia USP, and Jodi Kennedy, chief results officer, at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts in San Antonio, Texas, on December 29, 2018

“It was really fantastic. I enjoyed it very much. The whole storyline was fantastic,” said Stan Burhan, the chief financial officer at Pharmacopeia USP.

Mr. Burhan's friend, Jodi Kennedy, felt a “healing energy” and the “inner presence coming through the dancers.”

“That would be the divine being coming through,” she said. “I absolutely felt that.”“Everything [in the performance] goes back to the Creator,” Ms. Kennedy said. She left the theater feeling a “connection with [the] Creator.”

Performances Reveal “Timeless Truths”

Leonard Reil, political and economic consul for the Consulate General of Canada in Mumbai, at the Shen Yun performance in Ottawa, Canada, on December 28, 2018

“It’s a great thing to do if you think you have a useful message, to try and find a way to resonate that message with others. I think it’s a great endeavor,” said Leonard Reil, a political and economic consul for the Consulate General of Canada in Mumbai.

“There are certain timeless truths that are important to keep,” he said. “You know, our forbearers had a lot of great things that they could teach us and that we could appreciate.

“The world changes a great deal but I think, in our core, humans remain largely the same and those things that we need to deal with and the principles by which we can live our lives are timeless things.”

Stories Express a Sense of Heaven and Earth

Gil Ostdiek, theology professor, at the Civic Opera House in Chicago, Illinois, on December 28, 2018

“I’ve learned a lot of things,” said theology professor Gil Ostdiek. “[I came here] to see how the body can be used to tell a story to express a sense of heaven and earth.

“[The performance] affirms what I have often thought—that the body is probably a better means of communicating an expression than our words are. When you dance, you fill the whole space with the body and it reveals very deep things that cannot be put into words.

“They’re so united—the unison is just remarkable.

“I’m amazed that the tradition has continued for that long and has grown, but is still faithful to where it began,” he said.

Touching “Human Soul” Through Art

“Art touches the human soul more than words,” said Michael Martin, a senior assistant city attorney.

“This art is enough to get the message across... Those who wish to accept it will be able to accept it more easily because of its presentation.

“The inspiration comes from the beliefs [which] are not far from my own,” he said.

Congratulatory Greetings from the Canadian Parliament

Shen Yun Performing Arts received congratulatory greetings and acknowledgments from nine federal legislators of the Parliament of Canada: (left to right, top to bottom) Judy Sgro, Member of the Canadian Parliament for Humber River—Black Creek; Thanh Hai Ngo, Senator for Ontario; Candice Bergen, Opposition House Leader; John Aldag, Member of the Canadian Parliament for Cloverdale—Langley City; Michael David Chong, Member of the Canadian Parliament for Wellington—Halton Hills; Deepak Obhrai, Member of the Canadian Parliament for Calgary Forest Lawn; Ruby Sahota, Member of the Canadian Parliament for Brampton North; Robert-Falcon Ouellette, Member of the Canadian Parliament for Winnipeg Centre; and Randeep Sarai, Member of the Canadian Parliament for Surrey Centre.

Upcoming Performances

Shen Yun will continue its world tour with upcoming performances in San Francisco, California, December 31–January 6; Lake Charles, Louisiana, January 2; Spartanburg, South Carolina, January 2; and Montreal, Canada, January 3–6.

For more information on tickets and dates, please visit http://shenyun.com.