NEW YORK—Actor/singer Richard Sacher used the words “absolutely phenomenal,” and “absolutely wonderful” multiple times in describing his experience watching Shen Yun Performing Arts at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater Jan. 16.
“I loved it. I absolutely loved it,” he said. “The color, the costumes, the sets, everything was just absolutely wonderful.”
He said he wants to bring his children to see Shen Yun before it leaves Lincoln Center; it’s last performance is Sunday. “I would love to come back for tomorrow night, but I don’t have a ticket for tomorrow night,” he said.
The New York-based company revives China’s 5,000-year-old culture in story-based dances as well as songs. Sopranos Chia-Ning Hsu and Haolan Gang performed a solo each during Thursday’s performance.
Mr. Sacher said he was so absorbed in the singing that his surroundings melted away. “I just sat there in awe of these girls. Their voices are superb,” he said. He also praised the Shen Yun Performing Arts Orchestra which accompanies all of the dances with a unique blend of classical Western and Eastern instruments.
Having taught music and theater to children in the past, Mr. Sacher said: “I think children should see this. … I think that children would be inspired to do this same kind of performance. ... It’s so different from what they’re used to.”
“I had never seen anything like this before,” he added.
Mr. Sacher said the visual elements stood out to him; he said the animated digital backdrop really caught his eye. The backdrop opens the stage onto vast scenes from the heavens—which figure heavily in a culture believed to be divinely inspired—from royal courts of yore or from the idyllic Chinese countryside. Dancers often seem to jump right out of the screen, with a flawless transition from animated form.
“The performance, I want to say, was to die for. It was just absolutely phenomenal. I didn’t find a flaw in the performance at all. It was great,” Mr. Sacher said.
“Now I’m going to be here every year just to see more of it. It’s just wonderful.”
Shen Yun changes its entire performance every year, so many audience members return year after year, bringing friends and family with them.
Reporting by NTD Television and Tara MacIsaac
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.
