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Zach Braiker and his colleague, Purnima Thakre, enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at the San Diego Civic Theatre, on Dec. 26. (Courtesy of NTD Television)
SAN DIEGO—Shen Yun “brought Chinese culture to life in a fabulous way for me,” said Zach Braiker, CEO of Refine and Focus, a social media agency, and an international speaker on interactive marketing and sales.
“Amazing. It really opened my eyes. I really appreciated it—the show, and the dancing and the culture,” he added.
Mr. Braiker and his colleague, Purnima Thakre, were among the cultural aficionados who saw New York-based Shen Yun’s opening performance at the San Diego Civic Theatre Dec. 26.
Shen Yun Performing Arts formed in 2006 with the mission of reviving 5,000 years of divinely inspired Chinese culture, according to its website. Shen Yun has three companies, each with a dance troupe, an orchestra, solo singers, and musicians. They tour the world simultaneously.
Hand-sewn and colorful costumes highlight each dance while the dancers depict myths and legends of China’s ancient 5,000 year history. Shen Yun’s mini-dramatic pieces draw upon stories and legends that span China’s history from the Yellow Emperor and through the Tang and Song dynasties and all the way to the modern day, according to its website.
Mr. Braiker felt that the performance conveyed the preciousness of Chinese civilization.
“First to see the vastness of the history and how diverse things were between distinct time periods; that itself was impressive. The Shaolin monk piece in particular was very impactful. I liked seeing how the monks interacted. I thought they did a beautiful job. And then the colors were phenomenal. The energy was very appealing to both of us,” said Mr. Braiker.
The various elements that make Shen Yun-the intricate choreography; the orchestra that combines classical Western and traditional Chinese instruments; the digital backdrops that create another dimension to the performance, and even the emcees who introduce each program-work in harmony, Mr. Braiker noticed.
He said he enjoyed “the harmony that was created by the elements working together. You have the host that was creating a rapport with the orchestra, which worked with the dancers; all of that work very nicely together.”
To all those who have yet to see Shen Yun, Mr. Braiker says, “Go, go, run, dance, get there!” while Ms. Thakre says, “you must watch it at least once.”
Reporting by NTD Television and Maria Banks.
Shen Yun Performing Arts Touring Company will perform at San Diego Civic Center Dec. 27 before heading to Escondido to perform at California Center for the Arts from Dec. 28 to Dec. 31.
New York-based Shen Yun has three companies that tour the world each year on a mission to revive 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
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