SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

A Tribute to Shen Yun Performing Arts

Apr 24, 2016
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A Tribute to Shen Yun Performing Arts
Kassandra Carrroll, tribute Artist of Marylin Monroe, after watching Shen Yun Performing Arts on the evening of April 24, 2016 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. (Courtesy of NTD Television)

LOS ANGELES—In the West, we have the man in the moon, but in China, it’s a lady.

“The Lady in the Moon” was one of Cassandra Carroll’s favorite Shen Yun Performing Arts pieces, which she saw on April 24. The bittersweet love story telling the legend of the moon goddess Chang'E, depicts a couple forever separated when the lady drinks an immorality potion and her husband, unfortunately, does not.

Shen Yun’s backdrop acts as a set to accompany the classical Chinese dance vignette. But also, through its animation, it supplies figures that appear as animated images on-screen and then as flesh onstage.

The combination of stage and screen left Ms. Carroll, herself a performer, with a wonderful feeling. “It’s so light. I feel very good. It left me with a beautiful, warm feeling,” she said at the Microsoft Theater after the performance.

Every year, Shen Yun travels to over 100 cities, sharing the depth and beauty of traditional Chinese culture, with the aim of inspiring audiences worldwide.

Ms. Carroll had heard about the production in a roundabout way. Her family from Ireland had visited and seen the performance last year and, after they raved about it, she promised herself she would see it the next time it was in Los Angeles.

“Oh, it was so beautiful and so spiritual, so alive. I feel so invigorated after watching this show. I loved all the graphics and the dancing—so beautiful, so uplifting,” she said.

Shen Yun inspires audiences by having every aspect of the presentation resonate with spiritual themes, whether it be through an image of Buddha, through costumes said to have adorned celestial maidens, or through the story of a man who, despite facing torture, steadfastly holds fast to his faith.

Sitting within feet of the stage, Ms. Carroll could look right into the orchestra pit and, as a tribute artist to Marilyn Monroe who plays the ukulele in her famous picture “Some Like It Hot,” Ms. Carroll’s attention was drawn to the erhu.

The Chinese two-stringed erhu has a history of stirring souls for 4,000 years. Among the story-based dances and vocal soloists, the erhu is a featured instrument.

“[The] erhu—what a beautiful, emotional sound. All the energies and emotions from just that one instrument—two strings, so beautiful. I play ukulele, and with four strings, but it doesn’t sound like that,” Ms. Carroll said.

Ms. Carroll was seated so close to the performers that she could clearly see their facial expressions and feel their energy. “The energy of the show was wonderful,” she said. “Oh, I can see them smiling and they were so upbeat, joyous, … I feel I just want to run around,” she added.

“So uplifting. I loved it,” she said. Now that she’s learned that the dancers train in upstate New York, she said, “I think I’m going to visit the school next year.”

“[It would] be lovely to see them,” she added. “They’re so beautiful; this is such a joyous occasion.”

Reporting by NTD Television and Sharon Kilarski

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.

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.

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Los AngelesShen Yun
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