LOS ANGELES—Actor, director and pianist Charles Tentindo celebrated his birthday with the Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company performance on Jan. 13. He said he was impressed with not only the artistry of the production but also its meaning.
“The show was impressive, especially in terms of the repression that has been going on in China,” Mr. Tentindo said. The New York-based company’s performance brings 5,000 years of Chinese civilization to life, which can only be done outside of China, according to the emcees, as the Chinese regime does not encourage the traditional arts and values Shen Yun presents. A few of the narrative dances depict current repression in China.
“Here is a beautiful venue to express all of that, and also educate people who don’t know what has transpired and what is going on in China. Just for that reason alone I’m very thankful to be here,” Mr. Tentindo said.
“It was a very positive message, all the way through.”
As a teacher of acting and production, Mr. Tentindo said he was impressed with the elements the production brought together. “All the visual elements with the background screens, all the timing and choreography. I thought it was beautiful, an impeccable show.” He is a musician and songwriter, a cameraman and skilled at high performance driving and theatrical combat, according to his resume. The versatile Mr. Tendino wrote, directed and edited Making a Killing: Inside the International Arms Trade, according to IMdb.
Shen Yun’s choreographers bring the audience both folk and ethnic dances from the many regions of China, and classical Chinese dances. The orchestra mixes classical Western and Eastern instruments, while the digital backdrop “transports the audience to another realm,” according to the Shen Yun website, and allows the dancers to transition from stage to screen.
“I thought they did a pretty good job in a few of the numbers to build dramatic tension, but there was always a resolution to a positive side, a better side. The old struggle of good versus evil, and good overcoming evil,” Mr. Tentindo said of the stories.
Reporting by NTD Television and Catherine Yang.
Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. Shen Yun Performing Arts New York Company will perform at The Music Center through Jan. 14.
For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3WTKCEA4tE[/video]
