BUENOS AIRES, Argentina—Iris came from mainland China to Argentina a year ago. She is a professional dancer, starting with ballet as a small child, then switching to Chinese folk and ethnic dance. She has been dancing for over ten years and was particularly impressed with the quality and richness of the dances in Shen Yun.
Shen Yun Performing Arts, the New York-based group reviving ancient Chinese culture, performed at the Auditorio Belgrano in Buenos Aires, Friday July 3.
“I study dance myself, so I think the choreography, the theme, and the selection of the sources are all very excellent,” Iris said.
“It broke through the past tendency of the traditional and ethnic dances in China that the themes are limited, the dances are weak that in terms of vigor, and that there isn’t a particularly large line up. This show has a new innovation that is richer than dances in the past. I think it is very good.”
Iris was moved by how quickly Shen Yun could achieve such a high standard of performance, she explained, “This company has not been established for a long time. It has reached this level in such a short time, it is already very surprising.”
As a dancer, Iris also has a heart for music. She was amazed at how beautiful the music was and how well it blended into the dance. The Shen Yun orchestra combines Western and Chinese musical instruments to create a unique and beautiful sound. It is the world’s only orchestra that embraces Western and Chinese instruments.
“As for the music … I think it is very good, because many of the Chinese folk dance and classical dance in the past, including the famous dance of “Painting by Dancing with a Fan,” they all use music from a very long time ago. It is very beautiful, but it might not be easy for modern people to understand very well.”
“I discovered that this performance has a lot of original music; this is a very good innovation and a daring attempt, because after all it is traditional music—which, compared with composing pop music, it is much more difficult, using our thinking, to compose.”
“[Shen Yun] can make such an attempt, and I think it is successful.
“It has the essence of Chinese traditional culture, and for the people it is more acceptable and understandable, so I think it is very good. Because in the past, including when I danced as a child, the music used is from tens of years, hundreds of years, or even thousands of years ago.”
“It is very rare to compose new music especially for a particular dance, so after I saw it, I felt very surprised.
“When I first saw the advertisement, I was thinking whether it would be like the music of “High Mountain and Flowing Water” in the past, but after I’ve seen it, I have a new feeling.”
Iris was so impressed with Shen Yun that she wishes her friends would also see it, “I have many friends overseas; they are in many different countries. I hope that when this performance goes to other countries, they can go see it.”
Shen Yun Performing Arts will be performing in Buenos Aires until July 5. Santiago, Chile, will host three shows from July 10 to 12. The show will then return to Argentina on July 16, this time in Cordoba, performing three shows until July 18.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor for the Shen Yun Performing Arts 2009 World Tour.For more information please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org