SANTIAGO, Chile—Shen Yun's final show in Chile was greeted by an enraptured audience that kept the performers out for three curtain calls on Sunday night. The wintry evening was warmed by an intricate display of Chinese classical dance, music, and song, that portrayed the ancient divine heritage of China.
Professor of dance and choreographer, Ms. Connolly, simply loved the show. “It is precious, it truly has a wonderful precision an energy,” she said at intermission. “They do everything in unison, it's perfect … the arms are perfect, and the hands. They are all equals and it has a very pretty energy, it does transmit a very pretty energy—that is received very strongly; very pretty, very pretty.”
Ms. Connolly owns a dance academy, but had not experienced much of Chinese classical dance. “It seems to me very precise,” she said. “It has several ways of walking that it seems they are floating, it is incredible. And most of all, the arms, the way they use their arms is extremely expressive.”
Classical Chinese dance is a unique dance heritage. In its early stages it was mainly passed down among the common people, through members of the imperial court, and as part of ancient theater.
Over the years, dancers experimented with, and reworked it to arrive at the extraordinary system of Chinese classical dance known today. It is part of the divinely inspired heritage that is China’s millennia-old culture, and one means by which that culture lives on.
The artistic level of the dances is of an “excellent level!” said Ms. Connolly. “I believe that I could highlight what the men did at the end with the drums, which was really brilliant.”
Drummers of the Tang Court is a performance where the dancers play the part of Tang military drummers, whose vivacious drumming once gave celebrations an added vigor, and served to relay commands and rally troops in battle. The thunderous Tang drum was born in an era when Chinese civilization reached its greatest height, the Tang Dynasty.
The women's fan dance, Welcoming Spring, also impressed Ms. Connolly, who described it as “The beautiful picture of Spring.”
Quick footwork, crisp movements, and stunning bursts of color form the basis of “Welcoming Spring.” Its exuberant spirit and marking of the season personify China’s folk dance tradition.
“The singers are very good also, and for someone that does not speak Chinese, one can read what they are singing,” Ms. Connolly said, referring to the translations of the lyrics projected onto the backdrop.
“The hosts are interesting as well, he speaks Chinese and she speaks Spanish.”
And would she recommend Shen Yun? “Of course!” Ms. Connolly said.
Shen Yun Performing Arts has three upcoming shows in Cordoba, Argentina, from July 16 to 18. After which, they will perform in Westchester, New York for one night only, on August 2.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. For more information please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
This story was written with files from NTDTV, a media partner of The Epoch Times.
