“It was wonderful. … They did a fantastic job,” he said. “They’re tremendous athletes … so flexible, so coordinated, and so athletic.”
“I really thought the integration between the live performers and the CGI was absolutely fantastic,” he added.
Shen Yun utilizes a cutting-edge patented digital backdrop that allows audiences to see beyond the stage into the ancient wonders of China and even scenes of heavenly paradises. The animation allows the performers to seamlessly travel back and forth between the stage and the background projection.
As a former senior sales and marketing executive for Caterpillar Inc., Mr. Gambogi traveled around Singapore, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, India, Korea, and China.
“Because of Caterpillar, I traveled extensively through China, and I’ve seen shows similar to this, but this was far more elegant, far more sophisticated,” he said. “This is way beyond those performances!”
According to the company’s website, only Shen Yun has preserved the true aesthetics of this classical dance system—the way it has been passed down from antiquity—and presents this authentic culture in its purest form.
Unveiling Injustices
Mr. Gambogi was pleased that one of Shen Yun’s dance-story tastefully exposed the persecution of Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong), a meditation discipline based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).“China’s 1.4 billion people—a billion of them are in poverty—are wonderful, great people because I’ve interacted with them,” said Mr. Gambogi. “It’s just leadership in China … terrible, but you know, that’s [communist] China, that’s what they do.”
Since 2006, the company has performed at top theatres worldwide with a mission to revive China’s 5,000-year-old culture. Demonstrating “China before communism,” Shen Yun is currently not allowed to perform in China.
Mr. Gambogi was happy he was able to see Shen Yun and help support their mission as well as “to maybe help contribute to the Falun Gong effort.”
