Mr. Rossignol with his wife. He said he would tell family and friends; 'You just have to go and see it.' (Joshua Philipp/The Epoch Times)
Audience members paid tribute with a standing ovation to classic music and dance performance that exemplifies China's 5000-year cultural heritage.
The director of Yorktown's Chamber of Commerce, Arlette Rossignol, was accompanied by her husband Alain, a contractor who was unexpectedly impressed.
Mrs. Rossignol said when she first mentioned going to see Shen Yun perform classical dance, her husband was incredulous. "He looked at me and said 'Huh?'"
But after seeing the show, Mr. Rossignol said, "I think it was just a marvelous show ... this is very impressive, the colors of the dresses and all the costumes are truly sensational, I love it. I just love it."
Mrs. Rossignol agreed with her husband, adding "The music also was very entertaining. This is our first exposure to Chinese culture—absolutely wonderful."
Mr. Rossignol said the opening scene was breathtaking revealing a magical world of Buddhas and gods on a stage awash in color.
Story-based dance of ancient legends of heroism, modern tales of courage, and folklore traditions performed by Chinese classical dancers are the unique trademarks of New York-based Shen Yun International Company.
Mrs. Rossignol recalled the second dance performance [The Undumbara's Bloom], the story of a flower that only blooms once every 3,000 years and heralds in the appearance of a great sage.
"I like the one with the flowers when it opened, and also when it was flowering and all those things, it was so gorgeous, said Mrs. Rossignol.
And the quality of the vocalists, in particular soprano Pi-ju Huang for her rendition of ["Hesitate No Longer"] added to the show's overall grandness, the couple agreed.
Mr. Rossignol said he would tell family and friends; "You just have to go and see it. It's something you don't see very often."
Mrs. Rossignol commented further; "You see happiness and talent ... all those guys together, so good. I'm glad we came."
Her husband had not realized the world-class artists were living in the United States, and thought they lived in Taiwan and China, until the performances [Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution and Dignity and Compassion] were depicted.
These two dances highlighted the oppression of Falun Gong outlawed in China today.
"I than realized most of these people [performers] are living in the United States, and they want to send a message to their people in China, I finally got that, but I was kind of surprised by that first piece [Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution]."
The dance portrays a father tortured to death for his spiritual belief and leaving behind a shattered family, as celestial beings come to carry him off to the heavens. However, the story bespeaks of an ancient Chinese belief that good will be rewarded and evil punished, even if not in this lifetime.
"We'll definitely come back to the next show that returns to Westchester [County],” Mr. Rossignol said.
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts will be performing two shows in Birmingham, Ala., on Aug. 21 and 22 at the Concert Hall, Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. Then a five-run show will be held at Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center Opera House from August 26 to 30.
The Epoch Times is the proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. Please see ShenYunPerformingArts.org for more information.
