WASHINGTON—A music professor who teaches non-Western music at a nearby college assessed Shen Yun Performing Arts with words like "excellent," "wonderful," and "outstanding."
Dr. Wright saw the performance at the Kennedy Center Opera House on Aug. 27.
The professor is also active in the National Symphony Education Outreach Program and uses recordings of traditional Chinese instruments, including the erhu, pipa, and dizi in his Music Appreciation classes. Thus, he is very familiar with Chinese music.
After watching the New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts, he said: “I thought that it was a wonderful performance. I really thought it was moving."
Despite his experience introducing Chinese music to his students, he noted that actually seeing a Chinese performance of this caliber is a special opportunity. Though he had seen films and listened to recordings in the past, this was the first time he had seen a live show.
"It was just wonderful to hear the balance of the Western instruments with the traditional Eastern [instruments], particularly the Chinese traditional instruments,” he said.
Although he had had little experience with live Chinese performance, he said he found it quite enjoyable.
“Human expression is the key within the medium that is being presented," he continued, noting how effectively the stylistic elements were combined with the instrumentation, the choreography, and the vocal presentations.
Adding to his enjoyment were the translations of the Chinese texts that were projected for the audience to read.
"I do not speak Mandarin, but I think having the text of what the singers were singing was particularly effective.”
Speaking about the dance pieces, Dr. Wright said he appreciated the variety of styles incorporated overall. "The choreography was outstanding," he remarked.
In addition, Dr. Wright felt that the projected scenery helped move the show along. "I really like the use of computer graphics for set changes. That makes things very quick—a very nice pace."
Commenting on the legends depicted through the story-based dance, he felt that "each of them had their unique qualities." He added, "I just really, really enjoyed the overall performance."
Mr. Wright said that he would recommend the show to others, including his friends and anyone else who would want to experience such an excellent overall presentation in a two-and-a-half-hour time frame.
NTDTV, a media partner of The Epoch Times, contributed to this article.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. For more information please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
