COLLEGE STATION, Texas—Musician Dave Skinner and his wife Cindy Skinner were amazed by the
Shen Yun Performing Arts performance at Rudder Auditorium on April 26.
“The dancing is amazing … the storytelling through dance and the music is just really amazing,” said Mrs. Skinner.
Based in New York,
Shen Yun Performing Arts is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company. Along with folk dances and solo performances, the production depicts story-based pieces that
tell tales from ancient times to the present.
Mrs. Skinner was exceptionally impressed with classical Chinese dance.
“I love the athleticism of the male dancers. I thought that was incredible … the tumbling and the acrobatics and yet it was graceful,” she said.
With its flips and gentle elegance,
classical Chinese dance is the most athletic and expressive art form in the world.
One of Shen Yun’s unique features is its
orchestra. It’s the first in the world to permanently combine classical Western and Chinese instruments within a Western symphony orchestra. Shen Yun also boasts virtuoso vocalists who sing Chinese lyrics using the
bel canto style.
Mr. Skinner was impressed with the company’s ability to revive and incorporate Chinese ancient musical traditions into a Western orchestra.
Since
Shen Yun’s inception in 2006, its mission has been to revive traditional Chinese culture. The age-old culture has been on the brink of extinction since the Chinese communist regime seized power in 1949. Shen Yun says its performance this year demonstrates “China before communism.”
“We support the position against the communists,” said Mr. Skinner, “in 1949, [China] lost that. So, let’s get it back!”
“Even in the United States now, they’re trying to take the history away … tear the statues down,” he added.
Mr. Skinner also greatly appreciated the spiritually uplifting messages from the performance. He said Shen Yun delivers the message to “have faith and have hope.”
Shen Yun presents
a culture that draws upon ancient China’s Buddhist and Daoist philosophies, including stories from the middle kingdom’s 5,000-year-old civilization.
“I like this program because it’s faith-oriented. [
Shen Yun] respects the Creator,” said Mr. Skinner.
“The dance is celebrating a lot more than just the dance … here we have this wonderful, traditional Chinese program standing up for faith and for freedom,” he added.
Reporting by Sonia Wu and Jennifer Schneider.
