PERTH, Australia—Shen Yun Performing Arts opened the Perth leg of the world tour at The Regal Theatre on Thursday May 1, the first of six performances.
“I thought it was beautiful,” said Vittorio Natoli, a professional photographer. “I thought it was very colourful and a lot of symbolism.”
Shen Yun is based in up-state New York and has classical Chinese dance at its heart. The website explains, “For 5,000 years divine culture flourished in the land of China. Humanity’s treasure was nearly lost, but through breathtaking music and dance, Shen Yun is bringing back this glorious culture.”
“I think it was a lovely show, a beautiful performance,” said Mr. Natoli. “Very precise and quality movement, great drama—good choreography.”
State-of-the-art digital backdrops, and handmade original designed costumes all add to the visual feast for the eyes.
“The backdrops are magical windows to completely different realms. From vast open grasslands in one dance to the stately elegance of Tang Dynasty pavilions in another; from dusty yellow battlegrounds to tropical beaches to Himalayan peaks to picturesque scenery of the Yellow River Delta—the digital projection infinitely expands and transforms the stage,” the website explains.
“I think it was beautifully balanced and the choreography was very good,” he said. “The balance! The colour! The movement! There were a lot of beautiful things.”
The Shen Yun website explains, “Every costume in a Shen Yun performance is presented with brilliant colors, displaying a splendid spectacle—from the Tang Dynasty’s “Raiment of Rainbows and Feathers” to imperial dragon robes, phoenix coronets, and cloud capes; from the civil official’s headdress and robes to the warrior’s helmet and armor; and from the traditional rightward cross-collared Han clothing to the ethnic attire of the Manchurian, Tibetan, Dai, Mongol, and Uyghur ethnic groups.”
As an artist Mr. Natoli appreciated not only the surface beauty of the performance but also the symbolism. “It was quite insightful from the different areas and the different dance and the different symbolism and the different stories and meanings. It was very good.”
Shen Yun uses mini-dramas to bring myths, legend and contemporary stories to the stage, giving an insight into 5000 years of history and present day persecution in China.
Mr. Natoli said the performance covered so many things “there’s obviously a cultural awareness there for the people who came tonight. … I’m sure a great deal of them would be inquisitive to ask more questions and find out something more.”
He felt there was a spiritual awareness in the performance, “the drama, there was a lot of spirituality there, using the moon and the sun and the spirits and the gods and so many things, there was plenty there,” he said. “There’s a lot of different awareness there.”
He said he was very please he had come to see Shen Yun and “very happy for the insight and the opportunity to have seen the show. I enjoyed very much the presentation and I think it was an excellent effort and also a very big production.”
Mr. Natoli is CEO and founder of Viva! life photography. Over his 23 years in the company he has won many awards. In 2012 he won AIPP Western Australian Epson Professional Photographer of the Year, West Australian Photographer of the year, West Australian Lanscape Photographer of the Year and was awarded master of photography by the Australian institute of professional photography.
Reporting by Jianguo Wu and Leigh Smith
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit Shen Yun Performing Arts.
The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
