PORTLAND, Maine—Mrs. Reed, a former hotel manager, and Mr. Reed, who is retired from the air force were among the amazed audience in Portland's Merrill Auditorium to experience a show totally different from what they had seen in the past.
The New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts Company presented to the Maine community traditional Chinese culture with stories from China's 5000-year history through dance, song, and music.
"It's a lovely production, and it has a lot to tell and helps [us] to understand how other cultures meet with their problems and everything else," Mrs. Reed said, referring to the dances Heaven Awaits Us Despite Persecution and Dignity and Compassion.
Audiences in many cities and throughout the world, including Portland, mentioned their appreciation for the Shen Yun artists portraying the little-known side of China in an ethical and morally upright way.
Mrs. Reed shared that she felt emotional about things in the show, and how she just couldn't express in words what touched her.
"It was a very enjoyable performance, because it [Shen Yun] was so different and well-done, so well-done and an unexpected pleasure, Mr. Reed interjected.
Mrs. Reed said, "I loved the spring, was it the spring with the flowers? The fans. [Welcoming Spring]
Continuing her thought, she said, "I liked when the images came from the sky and then when they [appeared on stage]."
Mrs. Reed was talking about the state of the art 3-D digital backdrops where performers appeared to fly down from the heavens before appearing on stage.
"A great mix. The man [Guan Guimin, tenor, "Let Me Not Regret"] who sang last had a tremendous voice. He fitted right in," Mr. Reed said.
"I expected to see, you know, dancing like this, but the individual singing and the lady who played the two string [Mei Xuan playing the erhu, a Chinese two-string instrument.] ... That was unique, very good very nice," Mrs Reed shared.
The family had heard about the performance on a radio show and made sure that they kept the showtime open.
They saw "newspaper ads, and I heard it on the radio. We saved the date back in August," Mrs Reed said.
Chinese Family Recommends the Show
"It is the first time we have seen this type of show. It was good, it was good," Kamal said.
He continued after some thought, "The dancers were very good, the music was good; the story and concept was ... more influential than talking about what is going on in China right now with the movement," referring to the present day persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.
He appreciated learning more about China's "traditions ... and the heritage ... the Chinese heritage. The passions the stories and the beliefs and the struggle too of the Chinese people," he said.
"I love it. It was great, a great show," Aicha joined in the conversation.
"It was good, so they can see their heritage and the tradition of China, and the dancing was wonderful," she said.
They will tell their friends that they have to see the show. "Absolutely they should go and see it, and they would love it too."
The children were also captivated by Shen Yun, they loved the show.
The monkey [The Monkey King Triumphs] part—it was funny," Nabeel said.
Cameelia was quite taken by "The first one [The Five Millennia Begin], because of all the steam and everything."
NTDTV, a media partner of The Epoch Times, contributed to this article.
Shen Yun will be traveling to Canada to perform in Toronto Oct. 9–11.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Shen Yun Performing Arts 2009 World Tour. For more information, please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
